Luxor Temple Lecture Notes PDF

Luxor Temple  Introduction The Theban Nome is the 4th ancient Egyptian Nome of Upper Egypt. Qefet was the 5th and Dendera was the 6th. The name was “Waset” meaning ‘’ The Scepter”. The nome is occupying now Luxor and its surroundings. It included the current El Tod, Arm...

Luxor Temple  Introduction The Theban Nome is the 4th ancient Egyptian Nome of Upper Egypt. Qefet was the 5th and Dendera was the 6th. The name was “Waset” meaning ‘’ The Scepter”. The nome is occupying now Luxor and its surroundings. It included the current El Tod, Armant and Medamud.  Introduction Thebes was known in ancient Egyptian texts as t3-ipt. The word " t3-ipt " became " Thebaiy " or " Thebes " in Greek language, then " Theba " or " Teba " in Arabic language. As early as Homer's Iliad, the Greeks distinguished the Egyptian Thebes as "Thebes of the Hundred Gates"or "Hundred-Gated Thebes", as opposed to the Thebes of the Seven Gates” in Greece. The city was also known as niwt rsyt “the southern city” and Iwnw šmᶜ “southern Heliopolis”  Luxor temple remains the most impressive of the temples in ancient Egypt due to its simplicity. It represents the main plan of a temple. It includes more than civilization: the ancient Egyptian, the Greco-Roman and the Islamic. It’s a temple that embraces both Christianity and Islam.  The name The ancient Egyptian name is Ipt rsyt. It has been translated as the “southern Harem”, mistakenly believing that Amun of Karnak visited his wife Mut at Luxor temple. Later on, it has been proved that Amun came from Karnak with his wife and son to unite with Amun- ka- mut-if , an image of Amun represented fertility. This was done during the Opet festival. Ipt is known from the Old Kingdom to mean “chapel” or “temple”. In texts the name of the temple was mentioned as “pr imn ipt rsyt”  Function of the temple Mainly it is a cult temple where sacred ceremonies were conducted. Luxor Temple served as the dwelling-place of an ithyphallic form of the god Amun closely, associated with ideas of fertility. This was Amun-ka- mut-if. He was also assimilated with Min. It was thought that the creator gods of the Hermopolitan Ogdoad, including god Amun had ended their sacred journey at this place. Another opinion suggested that Luxor Temple was built on the so-called " bnw – stone ", where god Atum created himself n the primeval ocean of god " Nun ", according to the Ancient Egyptian mythology. It has been also suggested that it was built to: (1) legitimize the throne of Amenhotep III through the legend of "the divine birth", which was recorded on the walls of the hall bearing the same name, near the shrine, as his mother (Mutemwyia) is an Asian princess and not of royal blood. But recently it has been proved that queen Mutemwyia is Egyptian and that celebrating the divine birth is related to rejuvenation. (2) celebrate the Opet Festival together with a record of the biggest number of celebrations known in ancient Egypt: the festival of god Min, the New Years Day festival and the Heb-Sed festival.  The Opet Festival Each year, a statue of Amun of Karnak was carried in a procession to Luxor Temple to greet Amun of the Opet, in a ceremony called "The Beautiful Festival to the Opet." The ceremony was one of the most important in Egypt's religious calendar. The procession between the temples and the ceremonies held at Luxor are shown on the outer walls of the shrine temple of Rameses III in the Great Court at Karnak and on the walls of Amenhetep III's Colonnade at Luxor Temple. Among its several functions, the festival was meant to reaffirm the authority of the king, his ties to the royal ancestors, and his bonds to the gods. It was a ceremony of royal reassertion of the god's power over Egypt. The festival was celebrated in the second month of the annual inundation of the Nile (Akhet). It lasted for 11 days and by the beginning of the reign of Ramses III, the festival stretched over 24 days  The Opet Festival The processional route between the temples varied with time, sometimes traveling by foot along the Avenue of Sphinxes. At other times, the sacred statue travelled from Karnak to Luxor in a specially made bark, known in Egyptian as the Userhat-Amun (“mighty of prow is Amun”). This vessel was built of Lebanon cedar covered with gold. Its prow and stern were decorated with a ram’s head, sacred to the god. However, it must also be noted that the return journey from Luxor to Karnak also acts as a celebration.  The Opet Festival The Opet Festival re-established essential communication between the gods and Egyptian society through the rebirth ceremony in the Temple of Luxor’s birth-room, which initiated the Pharaoh as an intermediary for the gods by being reborn as the son of Amun-Ra, “the rebirth of the sun-god.” This rebirth promoted the fertility of the king, ensuring their right to rule was divine and consolidating their lineage. The Opet Festival also reinforced the fertility of the harvest, which fluctuated depending on the inundation of the Nile, and was therefore celebrated in the “second month of the Akhet season.” It was not just the king who was active during the festival; sailors and soldiers were the most prominent non-religious groups in the festival. They have been observed in the colonnade hall relief- scenes, which demonstrated that a large number of civil and military official partook in the preparations and running of the Opet Festival.  The Sphinx Avenue It is a long paved road running between Karnak and Luxor temples. It is called anciently Wᴈt nṯr “the road of the god”, tᴈmỉ rhnt “the sphinx road”. It is 2700 m. long and 76m. Wide. They reached now 1200 statue. The discoveries started in 1949 by Dr. Zakaria Ghoneim, followed by Dr. Mohamed Abd el Qader 1958-1960, Dr. Mohamed Abd el Raziq 1961-1964 and Mohamed el Sagheir fom middle 1970s to 2002. Interest in this avenue returned again in 2007 until reaching the great opening ceremony in 2021.  The Sphinx Avenue The main function of the Sphinx Avenue was to serve the processional way of the Opet Festival from Karnak to Luxor temples and to determine the land road to temple's entrance. It started in the New Kingdom probably since Thutmosis IV, but took its final form only in the 30th Dynasty reign of Nekhtanebo I. The statues either represent a lion’s body with a human head or a lion’s body with ram head. Having different features may refer to different persons. An identification Plate on site  Kings contributing in Luxor Temple Plates on the left hand side entering the Sphinx Avenue  Entering the temple Entering the temple yard on the left hand side are now plates telling the different views of the temple across the years. On the extreme left there is a building probably roman church with reused blocks. Some of these blocks are put upside down.  Entering the temple On the extreme right there is a roman chapel with a statue of Roman Isis. The statue was found in the excavations of the temple and was put there by archeologists. The chapel has a text stating that it was dedicated by the local governor Gauis Julios Antonios in the 10th year of the Emperor Hadrian’s rule.  Behind the chapel is another church.  First pylon The construction of this enormous pylon took about 3 years. It began in the first year of Ramses II's reign, and it was completed in the third year, specifically in the third month of the akhet season of flood. The sandstone tower measures 65m. wide and 24m. high.  The first pylon On each of the pylon's towers are 4 oblong grooves that were associated with the 4 flag staffs. Both towers are decorated with scenes from the famous battle of Qadesh and the text of Bentawer describing the battle. 1-60 lines right, 61-90 left) On the right tower the king is heading a council and scenes from the battle that continues through the western outside wall representing the king on his chariot. On the left tower the king on his chariot attacking the fortress of Qadesh and the Hittites while fleeing.  In front of the pylon there are 6 colossal statues two seated and 4 standing. The two seated colossal statues represent Ramses II on his throne with the sign of Sema Tawy “ uniting the two lands represented (the two figures of Hapy, the Nile gods are tying papyrus and lotus around the trachea of Osiris as a symbol of life. There are some cracks that were restored with the style called the bird’s tail.  Obelisks In front of the pylon and the seated statues there were two obelisks one is still in situ while the other was moved to Paris in 1819 by Mohamed Ali in exchange for the citadel clock and a copy of the great encyclopedia La Description de L’Egypte. It was put up in the Concord in 1836. only the base remained. Each was crowned by a pyramidion originally covered by a metal top of bronze and electrum. Their bases were decorated with 4 baboons, facing east in the direction of the sunrise. The ancient Egyptians had noticed that the baboons rose very early in the morning awaiting the sun shine. Once it had risen, they began to move and jump as if they were happy and excited. Moreover, the baboon is mentioned in the Pyramid Texts several times as one of the sons of the sun god Ra.  The Great Court Immediately behind the First Pylon, the Great Court built of sandstone and measures 57 meters long and 51 meters wide, also built by Ramses II. This is a court, with a double row of 74 columns around its four sides supporting a narrow roof around its perimeter. They are closed papyrus columns. In between each 2 columns, there is a standing statue of Ramses II, almost all of them are partly destroyed. The east and west walls of the court has a sided entrance for the public audience.  The Great Court The walls of the court are decorated with scenes of the king in different costumes and headdresses, censing, making offering with chanting priests, to Amun-Ra, Kamutef, Mut, Khonsu, Isis, Atum, Montu and Hathor one by one, while god Thoth is recording the gifts. Other scenes show the king attending a major festival in Luxor, the "Festival of Min". This event took place during the harvest season, the summer (shemu), as this god was the god of harvest and fertility.  The Great Court A collection of beautifully fat bulls is led to the temple for sacrifice. Walking in the procession before them, on the south [rear] wall, seventeen sons of Rameses II approach the temple. Their names and titles are given beside each figure, and the sons appear in birth order. Merenptah is no. 13. The proud king is represented welcoming this procession, followed by the Nile god Hapy. In the lower register, Queen Nefertari is depicted holding sistrums in both hands and accompanied by 18 of her daughters. Before them is a finely drawn representation of the First Pylon of Luxor Temple that shows it with flags flying, obelisks and statues clearly and accurately depicted. From this court on the left side one can see the mosque of Abu el Hagag and the Coptic church on top of the court.  The triad shrine In the northwest [right front] corner of the court stands a small Triple-Shrine of the Theban Triad, Amen, Mut, and Khonsu. Originally built by Hatshepsut and usurped by Tuthmosis III and then by Rameses II, four graceful papyrus-columns stand on its portico. The three shrines belong [left to right] to Mut, Amun, and Khonsu. In each, the king kneels before the god. Scenes of sacred barks cover the walls. The building shrines used as a resting place in processions between Karnak and Luxor temples and played an important role in the ceremony. The Hypostyle hall  Two colossal seated statues of Ramses II are guarding the entrance of what supposed to be a second pylon. On the wall little behind the statue on the right corner of the great court is a scene representing the procession of the princes arriving to the temple of Luxor where the façade appears.  To the left of the statue on the northeastern corner is a representation of the god Thoth while writing the name of the king on the Ished tree.  The Hypostyle hall Entering the hypostyle hall there are two groups of statues. The one on the right representing the king and his wife. It was made by AmenhotepIII and usurped by Ramses II. The other statues represent Amun and his wife and another statue of the king. The hall was commonly crowded with pillars and the light was lit by windows in the upper most part of the walls. This is one of the most impressive parts in any Egyptian monument, built by Amenhotep III to be the Grande entrance to the temple of Amun of the Opet. The Colonnade was completed after the death of Amenhotep III by Tutankhamen, Ay and Horemoheb. The Hall measures 21 m. high, 10 m. wide and 26 m. long. The axis of the Colonnade and chambers is different from the axis of the Ramesside additions that precede it. The Colonnade has 14 columns, arranged in 2 rows, 7 in each. The columns are of a very high technique, with open papyrus capitals that supported the roof.  The scenes in the Hypostyle Hall, are the best preserved sources available for the study of the Opet festival. They include details of the processions from Karnak to Luxor and return. This was prepared by artists of Amenhotep III, working with the senior priests responsible for the Opet festival. The style of art expressed three different periods, Amenhotep III, Amarna period, Tutankhamun and Ay. Later, under Seti I, further additions were made to the decoration. These are easy to distinguish from the earlier work by the greater height of the raised relief. The main event, was the ritual procession of the scared barks of Amun, Mut and Khonsu, from Karnak to Luxor, which is depicted on the walls of Amenhotep IIII 's Colonnade at Luxor temple and on the outer walls of the shrine of Ramses III, in the great Court at Karnak  The procession was commonly accompanied by priests, dancers, acrobats, musicians, soldiers, standard- bearers and different classes of people. The scenes are arranged from the West Wall, north to South, about 5 scenes, dealing with the sacred procession from Karnak to Luxor and initial ceremonies in Luxor temple. Other 5 scenes are arranged on the East Wall, from South to North, depicting further ceremonies in Luxor Temple and their divine return into Karnak. The procession begins from the northwest corner, where king Tutankhamun, greets the gods at Karnak. Then, he makes offerings to the barks of the Theban Triad and joins the procession from their shrines to the Nile, carried by priests from the quay and placed in bark shrines in the First Court. The procession is going to the inner parts of the Temple, visiting the sanctuary, and then came back to the outer parts again. The scenes of the procession ends, on the South East and South North, where the king greets the Theban triad in Luxor Temple.  The court of Amenhotep III It was built by Amenhotep III, for the religious rituals celebrated by the people. It measures about 51 m. wide and 45 m. long. Its roof is supported by 64 columns on three sides. The columns are arranged in double rows, they are papyrus bud columns of a very high technique. The walls of the court are poorly preserved, but traces of scenes depicting Amenhotep III, or Alexander the great, presenting offerings to god Amun.  The cachette In 1989, The Egyptian Antiquity service, ordered their workmen to dig into the floor of the court for the consolidation of the bases. The result was, exposing a large hole, found to contain about 26 statues buried in Roman period by Amun priests for the preservation of these statues, or to leave enough space for the statues of Roman emperors. Anyway, this is regarded as one of the most important and curious discoveries, the so-called " Cachette of Luxor Temple ". The perfectly preserved statues, some of them among the finest examples, known of Egyptian sculpture. They are now in the Luxor Museum of Art.  The colonnaded hall It was built mainly by Amenhotep III, and it was partly damaged, expect 32 papyrus bud columns, arranged in 4 rows, each has 8 columns. Some of them bear the name of Amenhotep III, while others inscribed with the names of their usurpers, Seti I and Ramses III – VI. The Hall could be regarded as a shining Hall for the divine appearance of the god's statue when he emerges from the holly of hollies.  Very few scenes are still preserved. On the East wall, the king and his Ka, presenting milk, fish, birds and ointments to god Amun and his consort. On the east and southeast corner, an interesting scene, presents a personification of the Ancient Egyptian nomes, led by the Nile god Hapy, presenting their own products and offerings to the Theban triad. On the left side of the hall there is a small chapel probably for the bark. Going out of the hall into the next part  The so-called Roman Part To the south of the Hypostyle Hall, along the main temple axis, some steps lead up to a chamber, originally with 8 columns, whose bases can be seen in the floor, called "the first Antechamber ", or " the Chamber of the Divine king ". It served as a bark shrine, but it was converted into a Roman chapel for their own cult. They closed the entrance, leading to the sanctuary, and converted it into an arched recess flanked by 2 granite columns (Coptic style), and painted with standing figures of different Roman emperors acting their own religious rituals.  When the plaster cracked and has fallen away, the original scenes of Amenhotep III exposed. The best examples, are those on the near south wall and south east wall, depicting Amenhotep III, Kneeling in front of god Amun and goddess Mut presented as a female body and lioness-headed. This chamber was flanked by 2 small, rectangular chapels, one to the left for god Khonsu and Mut, the other to the right for Khonsu, with a staircase, leading to the temple roof. A second Antechamber, supported by 4 columns, lies beyond the first one. It was called "Offering Vestibule ", the principle temple offerings were made to god Amun at this chamber. The scenes on the walls, depicted Amenhotep III presenting offerings to god Amun ( food offerings, flowers, vases and incense ). The most important, are those on the north wall depicting Amenhotep III presenting 4 bulls to be slaughtered before god Amun.  The bark shrine To the South of this chamber, lies the " Bark shrine of Amun-Ra ", occasionally called " Third Antechamber ". It was originally built by Amenhotep III and then usurped by Alexander the great. The original scenes were depicting Amenhotep III in adoration attitudes before the Theban triad, especially Amun-Ka-Mut-f, then usurped by Alexander the great. The chamber was once supported by 4 columns, in between them lied the sacred bark of Amun of Karnak during the Opet festival, but those columns were removed by Alexander the great and replaced by an inner shrine, now known as "The shrine of Alexander the great ". Here, we should notice the big contradiction between the high techniques of Ancient Egyptian art during Amenhotep III's reign, and those of Alexander the great.  To the left ( eastside ), we will find 2 sided chambers, the first is called the " Coronation Room ", while the second is called the " Birth Room ". It adopted this name because the scenes, on the walls were depicting the divine birth of Amenhotep III. Unfortunately, most of the scenes are destroyed, but among the most remaining ones: - On the west wall, 3 registers, depicting the divine birth with the help of different gods and goddesses. - On the south wall, a scene depicts Amenhotep III, ascending the throne, and a very characteristic scene presents god Thoth leading god Amun to the royal bed of Queen Mutemwyia instead of Tuthmosis IV, then both of Amun and the queen, seating on a special bed, being held by 2 protective goddesses, Selket and Neith, their bench resembles the ancient Egyptian sign of the Sky "Pt" sign. The last scene presents god Khnum, fashioning Amenhotep III and his Ka on his potter's wheel.  The open Museum There is an opening from the eastern side of the coronation room leading to the open museum where blocks from different periods were found in the temple.  The offering room On the south of the " Bark Shrine " is a hall, whose roof is supported by 12 columns arranged in 2 rows, 6 in each. It was believed that this room was an "Offering Room" for the statue of god Amun connecting with the Sanctuary.  The Sanctuary The " Sanctuary " or the so-called " Holley of Holies", was known in Ancient Egyptian language as ḏsr-ḏsrw. It was also known as St-wrt “the great throne”. This was the most sacred place in the whole temple and it was not allowed for any body to enter this sacred place except the ruling king or the high priest.  The Sanctuary was commonly consisted of one chamber or one chamber equipped with various sided chambers. The main chamber to keep the statue of the god put in a naos or a chapel. The chamber used to have a base for naos or the sacred bark. Occasionally the sacred bark was put in a separate room. The sided-rooms around the sanctuary were devoted for the everyday rituals, offerings, incense, ointments and perfumes. The sanctuary of Luxor Temple is a central room, whose roof was supported by 4 columns, 2 in each side. The wall scenes, presenting Amenhotep III in his religious relations with the Theban triad especially god Amun. The sided rooms around it were for the necessities of everyday rituals and offerings for the god's statue.