Which god will have a temple in Luxor. Luxor temple: description and photo. Religious Significance of the Luxor Temple Complex

Temple of Amun-Ra in Luxor or was one of the most majestic temples of Ancient Egypt. He is in the center ancient city Thebes (now Luxor) on the east bank of the Nile. Just a few kilometers north of it is the Temple of Karnak. Unlike most other Egyptian temples, Luxor has a north-south orientation to match the pylons of Karnak.

History and construction

Scientists believe that the pharaohs began to build the Luxor temple during the New Kingdom (XVI-XI centuries BC). But the earliest evidence that has come down to us is from the reign of Amenhotep III. He was the pharaoh of the New Kingdom and rebuilt the core of the temple, which included the Inner Sanctuary. Amenhotep III also built a spacious courtyard with columns depicting bundles of reeds.

The next major stage of construction dates back to the reign of Pharaoh Ramesses II. He added to the temple complex another pylon around which 74 columns were erected. The pylon was decorated with scenes of the campaigns of Ramesses II against the Hittites. Also, by order of the pharaoh, majestic statues of himself and his wife were placed between the columns. four more statues of the pharaoh and two statues were erected in front of the pylon. One of them is currently located on the Place de la Concorde in Paris.

Several subsequent pharaohs also noted in the temple of Amon-Ra in Luxor. Nectaneb II built a forecourt in front of the Great Court. He also restored the sphinx statues guarding the way to Karnak. Serapis built a chapel, which is located in the front area, and Shabaka built a hedgehog arbor there. Later rulers also restored parts of the temple.

Even Alexander the Great left his mark on the history of the temple of Amon-Ra in Luxor - he added a granite temple to the main building, on which he depicted himself as a pharaoh sacrificing to Amon. During the Roman Empire, a fortress appeared here. Also, there was a restructuring of the temple and images of the emperor and legionnaires.

During the conquest of Egypt by the Arabs, the mosque of Abu el-Hagag was erected on the roof of the Luxor Temple. It was built on the roofs due to the fact that during the construction the temple was covered with sand, and it was decided to use its upper part as a foundation. Now that all the buildings have been cleared, the mosque looks like an upper structure.

Facts about the Luxor Temple

• The Luxor Temple was an active religious site at least, 3000 years.
• Many pharaohs completed or restored the temple.
• The vault of statues found at the Luxor Temple contained some of the most beautiful examples Egyptian sculpture found to date.
• The temple is dedicated to Amon-Ra, as well as the temple in Karnak.
• The Egyptians oriented the Luxor temple from north to south facing Karnak; instead of orienting it east to west like most Egyptian temples.
• The Luxor Temple was located in the center of the ancient city of Thebes.

Pagan Egypt, worshiping the sun god Amon-Ra, left behind a good memory for centuries in the form of grandiose pyramids and miraculously preserved ruins of majestic temples. Apparently, nature itself helped to convey to the descendants the history of the civilization of the Nile Valley. No wonder the sand covered the temple of Amon, Mut and Khonsu near Lake Ishru, called in those centuries the Southern Harem of Amon. Today it is called the Luxor Temple.

Entrance pylons of the Luxor Temple with an obelisk

The place for the construction of the temple was not chosen by chance. This is evidenced by the temple of Alexander the Great, and the Christian church, built in the first centuries of our era, and the Muslim mosque Abu el-Haggag, built in the 11th century. The ancient temple itself is located on the site of a pagan temple, equipped by Queen Hatshepsut and her successor Thutmose III in the 16th century BC. for the celebration of Opet - the popular celebration of the sun god.

Giant statues of pharaohs inside the temple

The temple in Luxor is an architectural ensemble in the form of a rectangle, which covers an area of ​​about 30 hectares. It is a vivid example of the architecture of the New Kingdom era - this is the grandeur of the composition, the symmetry of the building relative to the longitudinal axis, the solemnity, the use of columns. The composition of the temple is: a sanctuary, a vestibule with 32 columns, a courtyard with a double colonnade, an entrance pylon, a colonnade for the procession - they were built during the reign of Pharaoh Amenhotep III by his court architect Amenhotep the Younger with the participation of the brothers Gori and Suri. The second pylon and the courtyard with 74 columns were built under Pharaoh Rameses II by the architect Bekenkhonsu.

Inner courtyard of the temple of Amun-Ra with a double colonnade

To decorate the colonnade, the architects used an original design solution, with the help of which the temple resembles thickets of papyrus, the sacred plant of Lower Egypt. The upper part of the columns of the vestibule is decorated in the form of a papyrus bud, the columns of the central entrance are crowned with a blooming papyrus flower, and the columns of the entrance to the sanctuary are decorated as a bunch of stems of this plant.

The columns of the Luxor Temple, stylized as papyrus stems

The walls of the temple are richly decorated with reliefs. The drawings on the walls of the sanctuary tell the legend about the origin of Pharaoh Amenhotep III, born by his mother from the god Amon-Ra himself. The courtyard, built during the time of Ramses II, is decorated with scenes of his military campaigns, and inscriptions in the ancient Egyptian language have been preserved on the columns. The 14 columns of the processional colonnade are decorated with reliefs telling about the festival of Opet. They depict the boats of the gods, accompanied by priests and musicians, people having fun, a procession of sacred animals and a pharaoh.

Ancient bas-reliefs on the walls of the temple of Amun-Ra in Luxor

The paved alley of the sphinxes of Nectanebo I, which in the old days connected the Luxor Temple with the Karnak Temple, rests against the main entrance in the form of a monumental portal with two pylons. On the territory in front of the entrance to the temple are two chapels - Serapis and Hathor. In front of the pylons of the central entrance, two statues of Ramses II and an obelisk made of pink granite have been preserved. The gate leads to the courtyard of Ramesses II, on the territory of which the sanctuary of the Theban triad (Amon, Mut and Khonsu) and the functioning mosque of Abu el-Haggag, built in honor of the father of Muslim pilgrims, are located.

Sphinxes surrounding the entrance alley of the Luxor Temple

A processional colonnade leads from the courtyard of Ramesses II to the forecourt of Amenhotep III. In front of the temple sanctuary is a columned hall. The sanctuary itself consists of several rooms: the sanctuary of Amenhotep III and Alexander the Great, the "birth room" and the Roman sanctuary, as well as several utility rooms for the priests.

Mosque of Abu el-Haggag inside the temple of Amun-Ra

The temple of Amun-Ra in Luxor is perfectly preserved due to the fact that it was covered with sand for a long time. And the restoration work that is being carried out on its territory makes it possible to revive the former splendor of the grandiose religious building of Ancient Egypt.

Luxor Temple- This is the second most important temple of Ancient Egypt after the Temple of Karnak, also located in Luxor. The Luxor Temple, dedicated to the "Theban Triad": the Egyptian god Amon-Ra, his wife Mut and their son, the moon god and heavenly healer Khonsu, stands on the right bank of the Nile River, in the heart of the city of Luxor. Previously located here South part the city of Thebes - the capital of Ancient Egypt, it was during the reign of the eleventh - twenty-first dynasties.

Temple of Luxor- majestic architectural structure, capable of impressing with its grandiosity any experienced traveler. This building of Ancient Egypt combines the scale of construction, huge size and, at the same time, the elegance of the colonnades, the harmony and perfection of architectural forms. The construction of the Luxor Temple is inextricably linked with the name of Pharaoh Amenhotep III, who ruled from 1388 to 1351 BC. Those years saw the great economic and political flowering of ancient Egyptian civilization and large-scale temple construction. From that era to the present day, amazing sculptures have been preserved, elegant jewelry, real works of art, which are the pride of the best museums in the world.

The total length of the temple structure of Luxor is two hundred and sixty meters. Near the main entrance, visitors to the temple are met by massive pylons, their height is twenty meters, and their length is seventy meters. From the north, the entrance is adorned with four grandiose monolithic colossi and a tall hieroglyphic obelisk. After deciphering them, scientists were able to understand that the architect who erected such a majestic Egyptian temple was Khevi - the son of Hapu, nicknamed "Amenhotep". About the skills and skill of this architect of Ancient Egypt, legends began to be added during his lifetime, and statues of this man with his biography have survived to this day. Amenhotep came from a simple family, but thanks to his zeal and talent, he was able to break into the ranks of the first dignitaries of the Egyptian state, enjoying unquestioned authority at the court of the pharaoh, and after his death, he was even deified. Amenhotep was assisted in the construction by other talented craftsmen - the twin brothers Gori and Suti.

So, the temple in Luxor began to be built in the fourteenth century BC, during the period called the "New Kingdom". Under Pharaoh Amenhotep III, they built main part temple and the colonnade going to the main entrance. At Egyptian pharaoh Ramses the Second, the Luxor temple was significantly expanded: a courtyard was built, framed by seventy-four massive columns and huge statues of pharaohs, the most remarkable statues are the figure of Ramses II himself and his wife, Nefertari. The main feature of the temple in Luxor is the huge colonnades: forty-one columns in the halls of the temple, fourteen columns in the main colonnade, sixty-four columns in the vestibule. An interesting attraction of the Luxor Temple of Egypt is the "Avenue of the Sphinxes", which connects the main part of the temple and the temples dedicated to the goddess Mut and Khonsu. Sphinxes were supposed to protect the pharaoh himself and his family members, both in the world of the living and the dead.

The construction of the temple under the Egyptians stopped in 663 BC, due to the capture and plunder of Thebes by the Assyrian troops of King Ashurbanipal. The pharaohs of Egypt were forced to permanently move to the northern part of Egypt, and the city began to decline.

But construction in Luxor was continued a little later, already under the commander Alexander the Great, who proclaimed himself the son of the god Amun, and built a sanctuary here. At the beginning of our era, the first Christian chapel appeared in Luxor, and the followers of nascent Christianity began to fight against paganism, trying to destroy their god idols. Since that time, traces of repeated attempts to destroy remained on the ancient statues.

Later, a Roman fortress was erected on the territory of the temple in Luxor. The pylon of Pharaoh Ramses II was converted into the entrance of the fortress, and the main temple hall was divided with partitions. In one of the rooms formed, a sanctuary of the deified Roman emperor was erected, and the walls were decorated with his images and figures of imperial legionnaires.

The last major building in the Luxor Temple was the Mosque of Abu el-Hagag. Today it is more than nine centuries old. The foundation for the mosque was the roof of the temple, which by that time was completely covered with sand from the desert.

If you want to see a temple from the time of Alexander the Great or a Roman fortress, you will need to cross the entire temple complex, but the mosque is perfectly visible from anywhere. For the convenience of getting acquainted with the great monument of architecture and history of Egypt, archaeologists cleared away the ancient buildings, after which the mosque began to look like a superstructure over the temple. Excavations on the territory of the temple continue to this day, revealing to scientists more and more new elements of the majestic architectural ensemble. But, even though the temple has not been completely preserved, we can guess about its incredible former beauty and enchanting grandeur.

– a beautiful complex and a monument to the great Egyptian history, without visiting which, it is impossible to know the culture of this African country in all its diversity. Even despite the fact that today the temple of Luxor is surrounded on all sides by urban development, noisy streets and numerous shops, this great sanctuary of the ancient gods of Egypt cannot fail to amaze the imagination of any traveler with its stunning calmness, grandeur and indescribable harmony. In 1979, the Luxor Temple in Egypt was designated as a site world heritage UNESCO.

If you decide to visit this famous attraction, then you need to know that it is open daily, but its opening hours vary depending on the seasons: from October to April - from six in the morning to nine in the evening; from May to September - from six in the morning to ten in the evening; on the Muslim holiday of Ramadan - from six in the morning to eleven at night, with a break from half past seven to eight in the evening.

Luxor Temple is located 3 km south of the Temple of Amun at Karnak. Smaller in size, but just as impressive and famous as Karnak, it is also dedicated to the god Amun. This temple of Ancient Egypt, second in importance and size, was the most harmonious and complete temple building of the New Kingdom era. Today, the temple at Luxor is one of the most celebrated Egyptian monuments.

Hieroglyphic texts brought to us the names of the architects who built the Luxor Temple. Among them are the twin brothers Gori and Suti. But the main role in the construction of the temple, which lasted several centuries, was played by the architect Amenhotep, the son of Hapu, nicknamed Khevi, the court architect of Pharaoh Amenhotep III, during whose reign all the main buildings of Luxor were erected. Amenhotep, the son of Khapu, received recognition and fame during his lifetime, and after his death he was deified as one of the greatest sages of Egypt. Three of his statues have been preserved, one of which has a text carved about the life of the great architect.

The temple in Luxor is a complex architectural ensemble that has absorbed the features of various historical eras and the fruits of the activities of various rulers. The numerous reconstructions carried out in different periods of the existence of the temple reflected the invasions of the conquerors, the struggle for power, attempts to plant a new religion and other events in the history of Ancient Egypt. The general ensemble also includes the temple of Alexander the Great, who declared himself the son of the god Amun and achieved deification from the Egyptians. There is also a Christian chapel dating back to the first centuries of our era. In a number of places, the images of the ancient gods were scraped off and replaced with inscriptions in the Coptic language - these are traces of the religious struggle of the first centuries of Christianity, when ancient temples and idols were destroyed.

After the conquest of Egypt by the Arabs, the Muslim religion also left its traces in the Luxor temple. And today you can see the Muslim mosque Abu el-Khagag, standing on the roof of an ancient Egyptian temple. When this mosque was being built, the Luxor Temple was half-filled, and its upper part protruding from the sand was used as a foundation. Today the temple has been freed from the sand, and the mosque looks like a superstructure on top of it.

L
Uksor temple has the shape of a rectangle, stretched from north to south along the banks of the Nile. The temple of Amon Ra, 260 meters long, was built mainly by two pharaohs - Amenhotep III, who began building it in the 13th century BC. and Ramesses II, who added a pylon and a new courtyard.

The road to the temple led along the road through 2 rows of sphinxes. At the entrance to the temple there were figures of pharaohs. Obelisks towered nearby.

P
In front of the main hall is a large courtyard where people used to gather for prayers. The pylon erected by Ramesses II is decorated with bas-reliefs illustrating scenes of military campaigns of the pharaohs against the Hittites.

In ancient times, in front of the pylon, there were two obelisks and six sculptural statues of Pharaoh Ramses II - two fifteen-meter granite statues depicting the pharaoh sitting on the throne, and four other pink granite statues that depicted the pharaoh standing. Until now, only the sitting sculptures and one of the standing ones have been preserved.

Today, only the left, one of the two, 25-meter obelisk still stands in its place, the other was taken to Paris in 1833 and installed there on the Place de la Concorde.

The temple of Amun Ra consists of a series of courtyards and pillared halls. In the first courtyard of Ramses II, there are thirty-two columns 16 meters high. Bas-reliefs are applied on the walls of the courtyard, and seven-meter granite sculptures of the pharaoh are installed in the back of the courtyard.

In the next colonnade, built by Amenhotep III, there are two symmetrical rows of columns 16 m high, the upper part of which is made in the form of papyrus buds. On the walls of the colonnade there are bas-reliefs dedicated to the festival of Opet.

G
giant colonnades are a characteristic feature of the Luxor temple. There are 41 columns in its nine halls, 64 in the vestibule, and 14 in the central colonnade. In total, there are 151 columns in the temple, thanks to which the whole structure resembles a thicket of giant stone papyri.

Numerous reliefs have been preserved on the walls of the temple, telling about the life of Pharaoh Amenhotep III. A legend invented by court chroniclers claimed that the pharaoh was born from the marriage of his mother with the sun god Amon-Ra himself. This whole story, starting from the scene of conception and ending with the scene of Amon handing over the symbols of power to his son Amenhotep, is successively unfolded on the walls of the sanctuary. The relief compositions of Luxor form a single whole with the architectural space of the temple.

After the destruction of Thebes by the Assyrians led by King Ashurbanipal in 663 AD. The capital of Egypt was moved to Lower Egypt, to the Nile Delta. The majestic city lay in ruins until the 1930s, when archaeologists began clearing its ruins. But even these ruins, which have survived to this day, make an indelible impression and can tell a lot about the art of the ancient Egyptians.

The temple complexes of Luxor and Karnak are the main attractions of Luxor, or, as it is called, the "City of the Living". Luxor is located on the right bank of the river. Nile, on the site of the former Thebes.

The modern city of Luxor is a residential area with shops, hotels, numerous ancient monuments and restaurants, where Luxor and occupy a special place, in addition, enjoy the close attention of tourists who relax in the resorts of Egypt.

These temples are interconnected by a 3-kilometer avenue of sphinxes. This is all that remains of the famous Corridor of Light, which once connected the temple complexes into one ensemble.

Luxor Temple: Description

It is a gem among the remaining ancient Egypt. This a prime example the forces of the pharaohs, sustained in the traditions of urban planning of those years. Of course, the monument has not survived to our times in its original form, although traces of the original paint can still be seen on some columns, while in the dilapidated temple it is possible to see the outlines of its halls. Luxor impresses with its scale, perfection of forms and grandeur, as well as the harmony of architecture with the landscape, which even the proximity to modern Luxor could not spoil.

Construction

The temple is located on the site of Thebes - the ancient capital of Egypt. It is dedicated to three deities: Amon, Mut - his wife, and Khons - their son. Its construction began during the reign of Amenhotep III, but two hundred years earlier Thutmose III and Hatshepsut built a small sanctuary visited on the feast of Opet. Although it was Amenhotep III who immortalized his name thanks to the construction of this complex.

The architects of the pharaoh began construction from the interior (hypostyle hall, vestibule and sanctuary), then to the north they created a courtyard surrounded by columns in the form of bundles of papyrus stems. The famous Precession Colonnade, consisting of 12-meter columns in the form of blooming papyrus flowers, is also a creation of the architects of the pharaoh. The columns, in addition, are decorated with hieroglyphs that tell about the god Amon.

The Luxor Temple in Luxor was continued by Pharaoh Ramesses II, famous for his monuments in Ancient Egypt. Its architects installed a huge pillar surrounded by statues of the pharaoh and 74 columns. The most notable are the figure of Ramesses II and his wife Nefertari. With their grandeur, 6 statues of the pharaoh, as if protruding from the shadow of the temple, shock. A truly sinister effect is achieved by moonlight at night.

Monuments of antiquity

Despite the fact that the Luxor Temple in Egypt is a historical monument and impresses even from afar with its grandeur and tranquility, there are also great amount cultural values. For example, the frescoes that have survived to this day amaze everyone with the stories they tell about and the ornate forms. The most valuable is the relief, which tells that the pharaoh was born from the god Amon, who found the most beautiful woman and, turning into the guise of her husband, he conceived a child with her - the future Amenhotep III. The newborn was presented with gifts by the entire pantheon of gods, which gave him prosperity, strength, eternal memory and glory.

Near the entrance to the Luxor Temple in Egypt is a granite obelisk Pink colour, as well as two statues of Ramses II. From the very beginning, the entrance was decorated with two obelisks, only in 1819 one of them was donated. The Luxor Temple itself begins with a pylon decorated with frescoes that describe the victory over the Hittites. Further, the rest of the pharaohs on the pylon captured their victories.

Another attraction of the temple are the alleys of sphinxes connecting the main building with the temples of the goddess Mut and Khons. Sphinxes seem to guard the path of the pharaoh, their absolute calm, first of all, speaks of the peace and security of the living and the dead.

Alexander the Great

The Luxor Temple, a photo of which can be seen in this article, was not spared by Alexander the Great, the great conqueror. During his reign, he was able to add finishing touches to this ancient monument. So, the Luxor Temple was added to the back of the temple in his honor. Also, Roman stucco was placed on top of the Egyptian frescoes in the inner part of the complex, despite the fact that the local priests did their best to oppose such “improvements”.

Muslim monument

The Luxor temple is also interesting for the Abu el-Haggaq mosque. It stands out from the whole ensemble of sights. This is a monument to the saint, who, during the Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca, was able to save animals and people from death. Tradition says that when the caravan moved through the desert, risking death due to thirst, the saint began to pray to Allah, and that his bottle was filled with water. So the saint watered the whole caravan, which saved him from death.

According to another version, Abu el-Haggag married Princess Tarza. After that, he promised himself that he should die only in the Luxor Temple. Only the disease overtook him far from here. Then the Lord sent two angels to him, who carried him home. On the very spot where they left the saint, a mosque was erected.

At the present moment, there is a Nile boat on the roof of the mosque. Every year, before the start of the Nile flood, it is removed and painted. Then an honorary escort with her bypasses all nearby fields. This escort includes sixty foot soldiers and two policemen, followed by camels in blankets, decorated with bells and feathers. Then the descendants of the saint and members of the religious brotherhood join the procession. This procession is a reminder of the ancient rituals that are dedicated to the fertility of the earth.

The Luxor temple is a monument of history. Despite the fact that it is “squeezed” on all sides by the city with its shops and noisy streets, the sanctuary of the ancient gods still amazes the imagination with its unearthly tranquility, grandeur, inner harmony and grandeur…

The famous temple of Karnak

It is a complex measuring 700 m by 1.5 km, including 33 temples, as well as halls. It has been modified and supplemented for 2000 years. Each pharaoh tried to contribute to the temple, perpetuating his name in it.

The structure of the temple

It includes 3 parts:

• The central part is the temple of Amun Ra, dedicated to this. This is the most interesting and largest building here, which began to be erected during the reign of Amenhotep the Third;
• To the north are the ruins of the temple of Montu;
• To the south is the temple of Mut, dedicated to the wife of Amon-Ra and Queen Mut.

The complex underwent significant changes during the reign of Ramesses I, II, III, Amenhotep III, Queen Hatshepsut, Thutmose I and III, Ptolemy and the Libyan kings of the 22nd dynasty.

During the reign of Hatshepsut, 2 giant 30-meter obelisks created in her honor, as well as 8 pylons, were installed in the temple of Amun.

Under Thutmose III, the complex was built up with walls, while images of the victories of the people of Egypt were applied to the bas-reliefs.

sacred lake

A little south of the temple is the Sacred Lake. It is a bathing pond, next to which a column was installed, which is crowned by a huge scarab beetle. It is worth noting that for the ancient Egyptians it was a symbol of prosperity.

The temple of Karnak, like most until the 19th century, was under a layer of sand, although now it is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the country.

The temples of Karnak and Luxor take the 2nd place in popularity and attendance among tourists who rest in Egyptian resorts. An excursion to Luxor will take you back to the past, which is still hidden today in wall paintings and writings. Such a trip will leave many unforgettable and vivid impressions!