Luxor Temple, Ancient Egyptian temple complex in Luxor, Egypt.
Luxor Temple is a temple compound on the east bank of the Nile in the city of Luxor, composed of multiple courtyards, colonnaded halls, and inner sanctuaries. The complex connects a long processional corridor with broad open spaces, and a single obelisk rises beside several seated royal statues at the front entrance.
Construction started in the 14th century BCE under a ruler of the 18th Dynasty, and later kings expanded the site over the following centuries. During medieval times, a mosque rose within the walls after the area became buried under sand and people built on top of the remains.
The Arabic name derives from the word for palaces, which local people used when they first saw the ruins rising above the ground. Today visitors walk among columns and walls where ancient rulers once performed rituals to strengthen their link with the divine, while worshippers still enter the mosque built inside the compound.
The site opens daily, and many visitors arrive in the late afternoon when the light softens and the stone radiates less heat. Evening light installations make reliefs and columns easier to see after dark, which helps when exploring the compound once the sun goes down.
The missing second obelisk now stands in a square in Paris, sent there as a diplomatic gift during the 19th century. The mosque inside the compound sits about 11 meters (36 feet) above the original floor level, showing how high sand once buried the site.
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