The temple of Luxor, situated along the river a couple of miles south of the Karnak temple, is a smaller but more carefully preserved temple to Amon-Re. Most of the surviving parts of the temple were built by Amenhotep III and his successors, with several courts later usurped by the inevitable Ramses II. The entry pylon was once framed by dual obelisks, one of which is now in the Place de la Concorde in Paris. Like many of the temples of ancient Egypt, the Luxor temple was covered in sand and mud for many years. During this time, the town of Luxor grew around and on top of the site. In the 12th centruy, a mosque was built 30 feet above the floor of the entrance court. The Abu el-Hagag Mosque is one of the oldest in Luxor, both a beautiful example of Fatimid architecture and an ongoing center of the community. When the temple was excavated, the mosque was left in place, and today it hangs, suspended, above the floor of the temple. The mosque is still in use, its only concession to tourism the bars across a side door that now opens into nothingness.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Go to Egypt Photo Database Page