Travel bucket list idea:
Luxor, Upper Egypt, Egypt
Unlike the complex at Karnak, which is connected by an avenue of sphinxes and which was built over the course of 1,500 years, the elegant Temple of Luxor was built mostly by one pharaoh, Amenhotep III.
As a result, it is much less complex than its counterpart, although the Romans made changes to the innermost part.
The temple used to be fronted by two colossal obelisks, but only one remains. Its twin was moved to the Place de la Concorde in Paris in the 1840s.
On the walls of the colonnade of Amenhotep III, see the depiction of the Opet festival where a statue of the god Amoun was taken from Karnak to Luxor.
The mosque on top of the great court is dedicated to the city’s holy man, Youssef Abu al-Haggag.
The temple’s colonnade leads to a court with an altar. This is a pagan Roman altar. The frescoes on the upper left-hand side have only recently been uncovered.
It’s worth two visits – once early in the morning before the crowds, returning at night to see the exquisitely detailed carving when the temple is lit up at night.
The temple is less complicated than Karnak, but to get the most out of the visit, you should still read about it beforehand, or hire a guide. You are less likely to find a guide to hire here than at Karnak.
The site is open all year round, seven days a week.
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