Largely built by the pharaohs Amenhotep III and Ramses II during the New Kingdom, Luxor Temple (a.k.a. the southern sanctuary) was a monument built for the annual Opet festival, where a cult statue of Amun (the local god of Thebes) was paraded down the Nile from the nearby Karnak Temple together with his consort Mut and their child Khonsu (the moon god). The ceremony itself will reaffirm the pharaoh's authority and close ties with Amun; after all, he was the living embodiment of the gods on Earth. Modifications on the temple structure were later included by other pharaohs, Alexander the Great and the Romans. In fact, the Romans built a large military fort around the temple where the Arabs later called Al-Uqsur, giving modern Luxor its name.
When we reached there at 3.30pm, there were not alot of tourists. Although it will cost me EŁ100 for 2 adult tickets (i.e. 1 adult ticket was EŁ50 or S$12.50), the man at the ticket booth gestured that there was a "discount" and quickly gave me back a change of EŁ25 and my tickets. When I observed the tickets carefully, I realised these were students tickets costing EŁ25/S$6.25 each (or EŁ50 in total face value). Perhaps we had indirectly given a EŁ25 baksheesh or tip unknowingly. :|
As we explored the temple in a general south-western direction, we noticed several large and magnificent statues of Ramses II and the courts used to conduct the various rituals (which gave the impression that the temple must have been a sight to behold during its heyday). Towards the end of the temple lies many chambers where we first set eyes on the Egyptian hieroglyphs engraved on walls. While Sally was trying to understand what these carvings meant, I was more interested in the Roman drawings done over the ancient engravings to denote its influence.
The best time to visit the monument is during the late afternoons when it will generally be cooler. While one could observe the details during the day, it is also advisable to visit the temple (on the same day so as not to pay for another ticket) at night when it is wonderfully lit up with nice lights.
We ended the day by talking a walk in the touristy shopping street of Al-Souq; probably this is the Luxor's version of Khan al-Khalili. While it is not a match (in terms of size) to the latter, it does provide a hideout to shopping enthusiasts. But for us, it was merely another street for us to wander around before heading back to our hotel for the much desired rest.
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This was the last photograph that we took before heading back to the hotel to charge our camera batteries. On our way back to the entrance, we got a shock when we saw hordes of tourists scrambling to take their pictures before the sun sets.
It reminded me of mosquitoes out looking for food at the same time of the day.
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I thought this was a rather nice photograph taken at the at the Chapel of Serapis.
Built during the Ptolemaic period, Serapis was a Greek/Egyptian hybrid God introduced after the conquest of Egypt by the Macedonians and remained in use throughout the Ptolemaic pharoahs.
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The main entrance of the Luxor Temple looks magnificent under the bright lights. In a way, it gave a different impression as compared to the day view.
p.s.: When we came back at night, there were hardly any tourists left.
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Although I was not sure what does the craving in the photograph represents, one could noticed how well the details are depicted in the high workmanship skills of the ancient engravers.
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The statue of Amun and his consort Mut; although it is thought that they may have been carved with the facial features of Tutankhamun and his wife instead.
Perhaps the ancient pharaohs really believed they were earthly incarnations of the heavenly gods. |
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Opps, I own up.
We were really hungry after a whole day of walking and decided to have our first full meal (of the day) at this "particular" resturant opposite the Luxor Temple. |
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There were not a lot of tourists while we were there that day at Al Souq but most shops remained opened at 10pm.
p.s.: Sally bought a set of 3 pyramids for EŁ20 or S$5 as souvenirs to her family. |
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Not sure what was this called in Arabic, but the fluffy bread (EŁ2 or S$0.40 per piece) was pretty tasty n it really reminded me of roti prata (without the margarine though). Bought it at a bakery (it was still baking bread at 11pm!) along Corniche an-Nil. |
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It is sometimes a wonder what nature has to offer in terms of variety and colour (of the vegetables). Lovely huh?
p.s.: This was taken at a shop along Sharia Medina al-Munawwara. It was still not closed at 11pm.
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This was generally THE standard breakfast (bread or pita, feta cheese, jam, a hard-boil egg) that was on offer in all the hotels we stayed in Egypt.
I was probably still quite excited (or maybe I was just plain hungry) about bread that I finished almost everything!
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