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| Early today we took a chartered flight on Petroleum Air Service from Cairo to Luxor |
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| Luxor International Airport (2001) |
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| The Nile River in Luxor |
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| A veterinary Hospital sponsored these shade shelters for the horses pulling calèches/carriages with a folding hood (KSS) |
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| Karnak Temple Port; a canal connected the temple with the Nile River and the port received the barques/ boats of visitors and ceremonial processions |
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| The Avenue of Ram-headed Sphinxes |
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| Ram-headed Sphinxes have standing figures of the god Osiris under their chins |
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| The first pylon/monumental gate (c 380-343 BCE) |
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| The first pylon was unfinished; behind it are the remains of a mud-brick ramp that was used to bring stones up to higher levels of the wall |
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| The Great Open Court (c 838-712 BCE) with a view of the Shrine of Seti II with three chapels that held the sacred barques of the gods Mut, Amun, and Khonsu, who made up the divine triad of Thebes |
Mut was the wife of Amun/Ra, and Khonsu was their son.
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| North Colonnade with closed-bud papyrus capitals and a row of Ram-headed Sphinxes |
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| An alabaster sphinx with perhaps the face of Tutankhamun wearing the nemes/headdress of cloth draped to resemble the flared hood of a cobra |
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| Statue of Ramesses II with his wife Nefertari, who notably does not stand behind him; Ramesses II is holding a flail (agriculture) and crook (animal herding), symbols of his kingship |
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| Column topped by an open papyrus capital |
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| The second pylon leads to the Great Hypostyle Hall/an interior space whose roof rests on pillars or columns; the roof is gone but the 134 columns still stand |
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| The capitals on the left are open papyrus, and on the right are closed papyrus bud capitals |
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| Closed papyrus bud capitals under the beams that held the roof |
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| Gods Horus (falcon-headed) and Amun (ram-headed) guide a sacred barque |
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| The god Anubis (jackal-headed) holding the end of the rope guiding the barque |
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| Min, the god of fertility |
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| Ramesses II (kneeling) receives the flail and crook from Amun-Ra, with Mut and their son Khonsu to the left, and a scribe to the right of Ramesses detailing the event |
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| Between the third and fourth pylons, only one of four obelisks remain, the Obelisk of Thuthmose I (c 1506–1493 BC) |
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| The Obelisk of Hapshepsut (c 1457 BCE) is located between the fourth and fifth pylons |
There were two obelisks of Hatshepsut that were supposedly raised as a pair, which were the second biggest in ancient Egypt at 28 m/92' tall. Consider that an obelisk is carved from a single block of stone in a horizontal position. Next the enormous obelisk had to be transported from the quarry over land. Then multiple boats were required to carry the obelisk on the Nile. And finally the obelisk had to be tilted into an upright position. There are several theories as to the techniques used, but our group liked to credit aliens. especially when raising a pair of obelisks in a narrow space.
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| Sacred Lake (c 1450 BC), the largest of its kind, was used by priests for ritual bathing before performing certain religious ceremonies |
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| A sculpture of a scarab that represents the sun god, Amun-Ra; as it was this insect that was said to push the barque that carried the sun [god] across the sky each day; the scarab is considered a good luck charm |
It is believed that walking around the scarab three times brings good luck, seven times promises marriage, and nine times causes pregnancy.
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| The fragment of the fallen Obelisk of Hatshepsut stands near the Sacred Lake |
We were given free time, to try to see everything the guide skipped!
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| Statues of Amun and Amunet, the latter was the consort of Amun before Mut; the statues may be gifts from Tutankhamun |
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| Beyond the sixth pylon are two columns, one with a carved open papyrus (representing Lower Egypt) ... |
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| ... and the other with carved lotus flowers (representing Upper Egypt), from Thuthmose III |
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| The Sanctuary of Amun with stars on the ceiling |
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| The Middle Kingdom (c 1980-1630 BCE) Court |
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| We thought this might be part of the Botanical Garden ... to the right is the Festival Hall of Thutmose III |
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| These columns of lotus stalks with closed lotus bud capitals were in the actual Botanical Garden |
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| What appears to be a cross is actually the remains of a triad sculpture of Mut and Amun with their son Khonsu |
Our next stop was the Luxor Public Library and Heritage Center to see a multi-media presentation about Luxor.
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| Misr Public Libraries Bookmobile |
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