Added: 10/31/2005 |
Time Machine: trip to LuxorYou decided to make a trip to Luxor. Well, first of all you need to prepare for the trip. Our Time Machine will help you to make a virtual tour to ancient Luxor and know more about this marvelous place.
Are you ready? Close your eyes and imagine: you are in Luxor, you left wonderful (see article "The world's greatest open air museum. Historic attractions in Luxor") Luxor Temple and now you are making your way towards Karnak.
The Karnak Temple is more grandiose and complicated construction than The Luxor one. It's even not a temple, but complex of temples devoted to Pharaohs and divinities. Egyptians began to erect it in the times of The Middle Kingdom, and main buildings were constructed in XIII century B.C., under pharaoh Seti I and his son Ramesses II.
You should go to the south of Luxor Temple to reach the Karnak Temple. About halfway to Karnak, you discover the Luxor Museum. If you visit it you will be able to become more educated person. Most of the relics and riches in this small museum are from the surrounding area and it will provide considerable insight to the monuments you will visit.
Our road finally arrives at the domed tombs of two saints, Sidi Ahmed and Sidi Ali, where a road leads to the main Temple of Karnak entrance. This road is built along a canal that once connected the Nile to the Temple. There was a dock in ancient times, but now all that is left is the quay and the raised dais. Not far from here you can see the Chapel of Achoris, which received the sacred boat of Amun when it was used in ceremonies.
Continuing our trip to Luxor we are going to arrive at the entrance of Karnak and follow the dromos with its crio-sphinxes. The dromos is the way along stone Processional Street. The dromos was built by Nectanebo I, and originally was lined on either side by sphinxes. Sphinxes have the head of a Ram and the body of a lion and are symbolic of the God Amun. In the center of this first court are the ruins of the kiosk of Taharqa, one column of which is complete. Beyond the kiosk before the Second Pylon there is a statue of Ramesses II with his son between his feet. After the Second Pylon we can see the columns of the Great Hypostyle Hall with 134 massive columns.
Karnak Temple consists of four main parts, of which only one is accessible for tourists and the general public. This is also the "main" temple part and by far the largest part. This is the Precinct of Amun-Re. On that basis someone can probably redefine the Karnak as the Precinct of Amun-Re only. This is the only part most visitors normally see. The three other parts are closed. The four main parts are: Precinct of Amun-Re, Precinct of Montu, Precinct of Mut and Temple of Amenhotep IV.
In addition there are also a few smaller temples and sanctuaries located outside the enclosing walls of the four main parts, as well as several avenues of ram-headed sphinxes connecting the Precinct of Mut, the Precinct of Amon-Re and, as we already know, Luxor Temple.
We can finish our trip to Luxor quite realistically. There is also a Sound and Light Show at Karnak. The show starts with a historical introduction covering the birth of the great city of Thebes and erection of the Karnak temple. The show also narrates the glorious achievements of some great Pharaohs. The Spectators listen to a magnificent and poetic description of the artistic treasures and great legacy which the Karnak temple encloses.
I can say you literally: if you was in Egypt and didn't make a trip to Luxor, you didn't see the most important! We cannot say that the Luxor area is a major tourist attraction in Egypt. It would be an understatement. Luxor has been a destination for tourists since the beginning of tourism.
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