The country of Egypt is filled with a rich history and plenty of places that are wonderful and magical in their own way. The city known as Thebes, which was called Waset in Ancient Egyptian during the days of the ancient Egyptians, is known today as Luxor, and the modern city that is located there today is still known as the ‘city of a hundred gates’. The city was the 12th dynasty capital of Egypt, circa 1991 BC, and during the reign of the New Kingdom of kings and queens it rose to its highest prominence.
Luxor was where Pharaoh Thutmose III planned and launched all of his military campaigns, Akhenaton started the controversial single god religion in the country, and where Ramses II started building monuments to the gods and himself. The city of Memphis was the only city at the time that was comparable to Luxor during this time in Egypt’s history, but the city was ultimately torn apart by the ancient Egyptians who took the masonry to build other cities. Today there is very little of Memphis remaining, or for that matter ancient Thebes. Only the temples at Luxor remain, and they attract millions of visitors each year.
Built close to the Nile River and parallel with the riverbank, the Luxor Temple was built by King Amenhotep III during his reign between 1390 and 1353 BC. The temple was built and dedicated to the Egyptian god Amon-Re, who was considered the king of the gods. It was also dedicated to Amon-Re’s consort Mut and their son Khons. Even today the temple is still being used as a place of worship and has been used as such since the day construction was finished.
King Tutankhamen and the king that followed him, Horemheb, completed the temple and Ramses II added to it. There is a granite shrine dedicated to Alexander the Great at the rear of the temple, and the hypostyle hall was converted to a Christian church when Christianity became prominent during that time. For thousands of years the temple was hidden beneath the streets and houses of Luxor, and the mosque of Sufi Shaykh Yusuf Abu al-Hajjaj was constructed over the temple. When the temple was discovered, the mosque was preserved as part of the entire Luxor Temple site and can still be seen today.
