AN OVERVIEW OF THE WEST BANK Luxor (ancient Thebes)

The West Bank of Luxor is one of the most important archaeological sites in the world. And 'much of what we call the Valley of the Kings, though many have called the whole area by that name. In fact, manygood books on the west bank of Luxor (ancient Thebes) are titled,"Valley of the Kings ", although they cover the entire area. It can be abit 'confusing for the novice, especially considering the actualconceptual scope of the religious conception. If you look only at theValley of the Kings, you see only the tombs, but the tombs were an integral part of larger mortuary complexes. In fact, the entire west bank is honeycombed with tombs, not only of the ancient Egyptian kings, but their families and nobles who served them.

KARNAK IN THEBES (MODERN LUXOR) 3

The outer walls of the Hall Hypostyle are covered with scenes of battle. Again, Seti I and Ramesses II in the north and south. The scenes have long since lost their color that was painted and the outlines of scenes have been blurred by centuries of wind and sun.E 'uncertain if the battle scenes are based on historical facts or ritual significance. It is believed that when the battle details are very precise, actual events are probably involved. Seti's battles take place in Lebanon, southern Palestine and Syria. The southern walls of Ramesses II have hieroglyphic texts which actually record the details of the Hittite king and Ramesses II signing a peace treaty in the twenty-first year of the reign of Ramses. This is the first trial found a formal agreement is indeed historic and diplomatic.
 The Hall cross is beyond the back wall of the room hypostyle. The wall is mostly ruined. With the cross hall is a partially reconstructed Third Pylon of Amenhotep (Amenophis) III. The Hall is across the remains of the first sections of the complex of Karnak which are still alive.
 

KARNAK IN THEBES (MODERN LUXOR)2

Pillared hall located after passing through the second pylon. The hall is considered one of the greatest architectural masterpieces of the world. Construction began during the reign of Ramses I's. He was the king who founded the dynasty of the nineteenth century and was king for just one year. The work continued under Seti I (1306 - 1290 BC). Seti I built the temple of Abydos and many other temples. The hall has been completed by the son of Seti I, Ramesses II. The effects occurring inside the room are very different from what they were originally. The huge architraves are not above the capitals that surround it. Towards the middle of the room several architraves and windows that are grateful stone still in place.

KARNAK IN THEBES (MODERN LUXOR)

 In ancient Egypt, the power of the god Amon of Thebes gradually increased during the early New Kingdom, and about the persecution led by Akhenaten, it rose to its peak. In the reign of Ramesses III, more than two-thirds of the assets owned by the temples belonged to Amun, evidenced by the stupendous buildings at Karnak. Although badly ruined, no site in Egypt is more impressive than Karnak. It 's the largest temple complex ever built by man, and represents the combined achievement of many generations of ancient builders. The Temple of Karnak is actually three main temples, smaller enclosed temples, and outside many temples located about three kilometers north of Luxor, Egypt, situated on 100 acres (247 hectares) of land. Karnak is actually the sites modern name. Its ancient name was ipet-isut, which means "The Most Select (or Sacred) places."

travel to Luxor

If you travel to Luxor (ancient Thebes), then it will be hard to missthe spectacular Temple of Luxor in the center of the city of Luxor.The Temple of Luxor was built largely by Amenhotep III andRamesses II, around 1400BC. Its main purpose was to celebratethe festival of Opet. Many rulers built on the temple but has alwaysbeen a place of worship for Christians and Muslims later. Amosque built inside the temple still exists and is one of thehighlights of the site.


Temple of Luxor is well lit at night, so it pays to visit the site at sunset. Hours are 9:00 to 6:00 and admission is 20 Egyptian pounds

Luxor Temple, Ramses II courtyard

 Luxor, Luxor Temple, Ramses II courtyard

In this photo you can see the two big statues of Ramses II. In front of the statues there used to be two big obelisks, only one remains today --the other one is in the Place de la Concorde, Paris. Ramses II is one of the most famous pharaohs. One of his works is the most amazing monument you can visit in Egypt: the Abu Simbel temple.

As you can see in the photo, thousands oftourists come here everyday to visit the temple. Most of them come with a tour operator and visit the temple with a guide. If you don't have a guide, you can join one of these groups.

Although I visited the temple in the morning, if you can, visit it in the afternoon. I was told the afternoon lightand the lower temperature make the visit to the temple more enjoyable.

welcome to Luxor 2

The Luxor Temple was dedicated to theThebes triad: Amon (king of gods), Mut (his wife) and Khnum (their son, the moon god). Every year, during the floods, a great celebration took place here. The three gods crossed the river on a boat to celebrate the Opet festivals.

In the photo you can see the huge pillars in the Amenophis III courtyards. Behind these pillars there is the temple of Amon, which Romans used for their cults.

Luxor Temple, reliefs

On the walls of the temple you will find many reliefs carved on the stones. They depict the procession of Opet, and episodes from historical wars. These reliefs are in the part of the temple that used to be open to the public during the ceremonies. There were also some rooms closed to the public. One of these rooms was the sanctuary of Amon, where there used to be a statue of this god.

In another room there are the reliefs that relate the birth of Amenophis III. He was supposed to be the son of Amon. This god, disguised as Amenophis's father, met his mother and conceived him.

welcome to Luxor

Hello, welcome to Luxor, probably the most interesting destination in Egypt. In this city, the former Thebes, some of the biggest and best preserved temples of the ancient times can be visited.

If you have plans to visit Luxor, you are on the right web site. If you complete thisPhotographic Tour, you will (virtually) visit the old town of Luxor, the temples of Karnak and Luxor, the Hatshetsup Temple, the Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Queens. I will also give you some information to prepare a stay in this city and some other useful tips.

In the photo you can see one of the statues in the Karnak Temple. This temple is so big that you would need many days to visit it. But as you will see, there are many other reasons to come to this city.

The Temple of Karnak at Luxor

Writing an introduction to ancient Egypt temples is considerably more difficult then examining any specific structure, for a number of different reasons. First of all, the term "temple" is misleading, and secondly, the term covers a huge variety of different structures that evolved over such a vast period of time that many people have a difficulty comprehending just how long a time this period spans.

The Ramessuem on the West Bank at Luxor (Ancient Thebes)