We left London mid-morning and five hours and two time zones later, landed in Luxor, Egypt. As we boarded our shuttle, darkness settled in, and from the airport we stopped to visit Luxor Temple, its stone façade, five colossal statues and obelisk brilliantly illuminated against the night sky.
The temple was very crowded and dodging people, we followed our guide, Dina to first view the Avenue of the Sphinxes. This stone paved road, or dromos, was actually a parade route linking Luxor Temple to the Karnak Temple complex; it was used for processions between the two sites during the fifteen day Opet Festival, celebrating the New Year. Dina noted that the sphinxes on this avenue had human heads on lions’ bodies but clued us that the sphinxes in Karnak would be different.
Luxor, or the ancient city of Thebes, was the capital of the Egyptian empire for over a thousand years during the middle period of the kingdom starting around 1500 BC. Construction on Luxor Temple was first started during the reign of Pharaoh Amenhotep III in 14th century BC; an outside portico was added during the reign of Ramses II. Dedicated to the god, Amun-Ra, the temple consists of multiple courtyards, colonnades, vestibules and sanctuary rooms. Although many of the carvings throughout the temple pay homage to gods of Amun, Mut and Khonsu, the temple reinforces the greatness and the power of the pharaoh.
Two large images of Ramses II flank the entrance to the temple. Through the portico, is a large courtyard with carved colonnades and more statues of Ramses II and his family followed by another courtyard, the original entrance to the temple, constructed by Amenhotep III. We learned that in early period of Egyptian empire, pharaohs likened themselves to the gods, building colossal pyramids above ground to entomb their remains as they ascended to the afterlife. However, once an Egyptian pharaoh was wounded and died in battle with the Hittites, pharaohs were humbled and began portraying themselves more as emissaries of the gods. Temples were built to celebrate and sanctifythe various gods but also embellished with statues and images of the pharaohs to showcase their power and authority.
The cartouche was an important symbol in ancient Egypt and these were carved on walls, columns and obelisks. The oval outline of the cartouche enclosed glyphs denoting prominent people – the continuous line encircling the person’s name represented eternal life – movement from life on earth to the afterlife.
Luxor Temple was modified over the years during the time of successive pharaohs. Even Tutankhamen during his short reign, constructed some additional colonnades. Alexander the Great who occupied Luxor in 100 BC converted one of the sanctuary rooms into a chapel; some of the original colored frescos from this period can still be seen on the walls.
Walking back towards the parking lot, we had a magnificent view of the lighted mosque juxtaposed against the temple. We were on of the last groups to leave the temple at closing, so had a chance to experience the last few rooms and temple plaza without huge crowds. We motored another 20 mins to our hotel, the Luxor Hilton, through the darkened but still bustling streets. We were delighted to see that the hotel was located right on the east bank of the Nile; after a buffet dinner on the terrace along the river, exhausted we went to bed.
We awoke the next morning to balloons – dozens of hot air balloons floating quietly above the Valley of the Kings on the west side of the Nile. Our itinerary was too packed for ballooning, but who knows, maybe next time. We breakfasted at the hotel and left at 9am for the short drive to the Karnak Temple complex.
From the parking area, we crossed a large cobbled plaza and entered the complex between two towering mud-brick walls. Thirty five hundred years ago the banks of the Nile extended to this plaza and during the Opet Festival a sacred boat sailed from Luxor Temple, less than two miles distance, honoring the god, Amun and was carried to an inner sanctuary via a dromos of ram-headed sphinxes.
The ram was an animal sacred to Amun and protected the pharaoh, as shown by the small statues of Ramses II between the sphinxes’ paws. Over time, many of the ram-headed sphinxes were moved to the inner courtyard in front of the large stone colonnades.
To the right of this courtyard, we entered the temple of Ramses III, with its rows of giant statues of the king, some headless, but many with faces, headpieces and even beards. Ornate and still very intact carvings decorated the surrounding walls, portico and pedestals. Ramses III ruled between 1184-1153 BC during what was considered the New Kingdom.
Like Luxor Temple, Karnak was crowded with visitors and in several tight spaces it was difficult to maneuver around crowds. We had the ‘whisperer’ headsets so could easily hear our guide, Dilna as she explained the various rooms of the complex but sometimes it was hard to see what she was pointing at.
Much to our delight, we had private access to the Temple of Khonsu so it was a relief to pass through a secure checkpoint and leave the crowds behind. We walked under a pylon (archway without the arch) into a large columned courtyard and hypostyle hall. Once upon a time, these halls had wooden ceilings but thirty-five hundred years later, only the intricately decorated columns remain. Nonetheless, the imagery and some of the red and green color are still visible on the columns.
From the large courtyard, we crossed under a smaller decorated pylon, adorned with a falcon, wings spread. The god, Khonsu is often depicted as a falcon or with a human body and falcon head. The son of the gods, Amun and Mut, he makes up the triad of Thebes, believed to have influenced the concept of trinity in Christianity.
The inner rooms of this temple are currently being conserved by the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities and limited public access is available. We followed Dilna into a darkened room, ducking low to avoid hitting our heads on the stone edifice. As our eyes adjusted to the dim light, we gasped to see the vivid colors of the figures adorning the wall. Before us, the god, Khonsu with his falcon head appeared in color surrounded by cartouches.
The next room we entered was even more spectacular, a bearded pharaoh in headdress bedecked with a cobra holding a sphinx, bordered in red and green surrounded by hieroglyphics.
Several of the rooms had small windows open to the outside. Shafts of sunlight steamed into the room creating an almost spiritual aura.
Wandering past another room, an Egyptian worker beckoned and let us peak into a shallow underground shaft. A small opening high in the wall, let in just enough natural light to softly illuminate the shaft as well as the carvings on the wall.
Spoiled by our private access to Khonsu temple, we braced ourselves to reenter the open access area with its hordes of visitors. We visited the Temple of Arun to see the large statue of Ramses II with a small figure of this wife, Bent Anat at his feet.
From there we entered the courtyard with what are believed to be the largest columns in any temple in the world. Many were still colored and ornately carved. There were also several stone obelisks. Per Dilna, columns were carved and pieced together using ramps while obelisks were carved in one large piece and raised using ropes and human muscle power. The scale of these columns and obelisks were impressive but even more so when you realize that metal had not been discovered and carving and forming were done manually using harder rocks as tools.
Weaving our way through crowds and often caught in traffic jams between the columns, we eventually emerged from the courtyard to the sacred lake. Manmade by a pharaoh in 1450 ish BC , this lake is the largest of its kind and was used by priests for religious rituals.
In the plaza near the lake, perched atop a large stone pedestal was a scarab. The scarab is one of the holiest symbols in ancient Egypt symbolizing immortality, resurrection, metamorphosis and protection. Legend has it that good luck will be had by those who walk clockwise seven times around the scarab so large groups of visitors were doing just that.
As visitors walked round and round, a colorfully turbaned Egyptian man stood to the side, eyes closed, head tilted, maybe in prayer, but maybe, just listening as people walked past. Nearby, a tabby cat peered out from under a metal electrical box, protected from the sun.
Can’t help but think that both the man and the cat were enjoying the spectacle of the many tourists intently circling the scarab wishing for some Egyptian luck.