Tombs, Temples, and Shisha in Luxor

One of Queen Hatshepsut's Obelisks at Karnak Temple, Luxor

We spent a whirlwind day touring in Luxor, flying there in the morning and returning after a late dinner of kushari, mint tea, and shisha. Kushari is a mix of noodles, rice, lentils, and fried onions with a spicy tomato sauce and a garlicky, vinegar sauce.

During the New Kingdom, Egypt’s capital was moved to Thebes, modern day Luxor, around 1000 years after King Menes chose Memphis as the Old Kingdom capital. The construction of underground tombs in the Valley of the Kings (Tut’s tomb was found here) and the large temple complexes of Karnak and Luxor occurred during the New Kingdom. 

The Valley of the Kings, Three Tombs, Luxor. This is the valley where Howard Carter discovered the tomb of King Tut in 1922. Though Tut’s is most famous thanks to it being the only tomb yet found undisturbed by tomb raiders, it is by no means the only one there. There are 62 tombs belonging to Pharaohs, plus tombs of queens, nobles, and priests dug into the limestone mountains.

Pictures were not allowed in the tombs. This is of Dad and I walking with our guide. Some entrances to tombs can be seen in the mountains behind us.

Temple of Hatshepsut

The Temple of Hatshepsut was once one of three in a massive complex carved into the stone on Luxor’s west bank. She was the first and most famous of Egypt’s female pharaohs. Hatshepsut lived from 1473 to 1458 BC. To gain power, she married her half brother Tuthmosis II and briefly took control after his death. To maintain her power control, she then married her stepson/nephew. When he died, she seized full control and undertook large-scale building projects. To gain support of the high priests, she constructed the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut and gave them full control of its management in exchange for their endorsement of her continued power. She also built obelisks at Karnak Temple.

The Colossi of Memnon are 18 meter tall monuments built by Amenhotep III. They were part of a large temple complex, but the faceless statues are the only intact parts not covered by sand. 

 

Karnak Temple

The Karnak Temple is an overwhelming place covering 2 square kilometers. It was constructed by different pharaohs over the course of 1500 years and was the most important religious site of the New Kingdom. Records show it had 81,000 people working in or for the temple, plus owned 421,000 head of cattle, 65 cities, and 83 ships. 

The Temple of Amun, the main structure of the Karnak complex, is one of the largest religious monuments ever built and could contain both Rome’s Saint Peter’s Basiclica and London’s Saint Paul’s Cathedral with room to spare. The temple houses 10 cathedrals, the 134 towering stone pillars of the Hypostyle Hall, two 30 meter high Obelisks, a sacred lake, a sphinx lined avenue, a boat dock, and giant statues. Most New Kingdom pharaoh’s added to the temple’s archetechture in some way, but it’s primary construction occurred from 1550-1069 BC.

Pictures: Entrance along avenue of ram headed sphinxes. Courtyard. Columns in Hypostyle Hall. Mom and Dad at the Central Court, Karnak Temple. 

Luxor Temple

The Karnak Temple complex is connected to the Luxor Temple by a three kilometer, sphinx lined avenue. Luxor Temple was built by pharaohs Amenhotep III (1390-1352 BC and Ramses II (1279-1213 BC) and lies in the center of town. The Barque Shrine was partially rebuilt in by Alexandar the Great and reliefs in it portray him as an Egyptian pharaoh. In the central chamber, the hieroglyphics were frescoed over by Christian Romans who used it as a chapel in the 3rd century AD. After the city declined, the temple was slowly covered by mudbrick houses, debris, and village life. 

In the 14th century the small mosque seen in the wall below was built. Excavation work began in 1885 revealing the temple as seen today, but the mosque remains. The entrance to the temple once had two obelisks, but one is now found in the Place de la Concorde in Paris.