26 July 2008:

We packed a small bag for our 2-day trip to Luxor, and left our main luggage in the Cairo hotel. It took us quite some time to finally decide to go to Luxor because it is an 11-hour overnight train ride from Cairo, and we weren’t sure of the conditions on the train.

We had seats in the first class section of the local train, but it’s not first class by first-world standards, but by Egyptian standard. The train had definitely seen better days but despite the worn and dirty state of the seats, they could still recline slightly more than those on a budget carrier with a lot more legroom.

Being seated at the end of one carriage, we were constantly jolted out of our rest by people opening the door to go between the carriages for a smoke and then deciding it was better to leave the door open so the passengers could “enjoy” the smell of their rough cigarettes and the sound of the wheels bouncing on the track. The number of times people left the door open was enough for Pedro to master the art of keeping his face covered with his jacket while swinging an arm at just the right speed to slam the door shut every time someone would go out for a smoke.

In Luxor lies the largest ancient religious site in the world - the Karnak Temple. This open-air museum is vast and complex. Only the precinct of Amun-Re is open to the public.

The temple complex is dedicated to the god Amun-Re. In ancient times, Amun-Re was the local god of Thebes, and he was identified with the Ram and the Goose. The Karnak temple was the dwelling place of Amun-Re, his wife Mut and their son Khonsu, the moon god.

The Karnak Temple was constructed over 2000 years by approximately 30 pharaohs. The reason for this continuous building is that they believed that once building ceased, the temple would “die”.

Construction work began in the 16th century BC.

This large scarab beetle was built by Amenhotep III to signify good luck. Legend has it that if you walk around the beetle counter-clockwise seven times, you will have good luck!

One of the most successful female pharoahs of all time was Hatshepsut. She had twin obelisks (a tall, narrow, four-sided, tapering monument which ends in a pyramid-like shape at the top), at the time the tallest in the world, erected at the entrance to the temple. One still stands (to the left of the above pic), as the tallest surviving ancient obelisk on Earth; the other has broken in two and toppled.

Obelisk of Hatshepsut at Karnak

An obelisk isn’t just a tall monument. It was an amazing feat of engineering! It was made of a single block of stone carved out from a quarry, transported to its designated location, and made to stand tall, straight and steady on the ground - all achieved by human hands, without any machinery. Even modern men have had trouble erecting obelisks using ancient methods.

The temple of Karnak is famous for its 134 massive columns arranged in 16 rows in the Hypostyle Hall. 122 of these columns are 10 meters tall, and the other 12 are 21 meters tall with a diameter of over three meters.

The Hypostyle Hall at 54,000 square feet with its 134 columns is still the largest room of any religious building in the world.

The Hall is astounding, considering its size, design and complexity, and the fact that all of this was built by hand, by hundreds of thousands of Egyptians.

 The Hypostyle Hall

Built early in the Nineteenth Dynasty by Seti I (ruled c. 1291-1279 BCE), the Great Hypostyle Hall in Karnak Temple was finished by his son, Ramses II (ruled c. 1279-1212 BCE).

The outer walls depict scenes of battle, Seti I on the north and Ramses II on the south. These scenes may not show actual combat, but could have a ritual purpose as well.

Coloring is still seen on the reliefs at the top

 Coloring from more than 3000 years ago. Unbelievable!

The reliefs and inscriptions in the Great Hypostyle Hall of Karnak temple are decaying rapidly. This is caused by groundwater containing salts which attack the surface of the stone, destroying the reliefs.

We wished we knew what most of these reliefs mean..

 These carvings lasting longer than anything else

Walls are covered with endless scenes of worship rituals, often showing the pharoah with the god.

The Pharaoh played a unique role as the sole mediator between humanity and the divine world.  Here it shows Ramses II kneeling in front of the god Amun-Re.

Scenes like this one of the king making offerings to the gods cover the walls and columns inside the Hypostyle Hall. In return for worship and offerings, the gods gave “life, prosperity, and health” to the king and to Egypt.

 Statue of Rameses II at Karnak Temple

Rameses II (19th dynasty), son of Seti I, was around thirty years old when he became king of Egypt - and then reigned for 67 years. He had many wives, among them some of his own near relatives, and was the father of about 111 sons and 51 daughters.

 A row of Ram-sphinxes. They are a symbol of the god Amun.

After visiting the Karnak Temple, we walked over to the Luxor Temple.

The Luxor temple was dedicated to the three gods of Amun, Mut, and their son, and was the focus of the annual Opet Festival, in which a cult statue of Amun was paraded down the Nile from Karnak Temple to stay there for a while, with his consort Mut, in a celebration of fertility.

It was built by Pharoah Amenhotep III.

 Entrance to Luxor Temple

That is the cartouche of Alexander the Great!

This wall is inside the Sanctuary of Alexander the Great. Alexander the Great, who was a Greek King, built this shrine, depicting himself as a pharoah so as to convince people of his power.

In the photo above, Alexander the Great (second figure from the right) is dressed as a pharaoh. In these scenes, he receives the two crowns of Upper and Lower Egypt, and also participates in offering rites.

You can still see the Roman mural that had been painted on another layer over the Egyptian hieroglyphics.

 Roman painting. How amazing!

More Roman mural covering the walls

To the right is the Colonnade of Amenhotep III.

A grand statue of Amenhotep III with his favorite wife Tiye within the colonnade. This statue was considered highly unusual because his wife’s statue was built in the same size as his, as a demonstration of his love.

This shows the unification of the two kingdoms of Upper and Lower Egypt.

 Statues of Ramses II

Statues of Ramses II. Many of the heads and faces were destroyed by the Romans so that the people would only worship Roman gods.

Head of Ramses II cut off by the Romans

 The Avenue of Sphinxes is believed to link the Luxor Temple with the Karnak Temple 3 km away

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