Alone at Night at the Temple of Luxor, Egypt | Walk Through Thousands of Years of History
The Temple of Luxor in Egypt is stunning. In the front, you’ll find six statues of Ramses II, two seated and four standing. Not long ago, only three of these colossi were here, but due to restoration efforts, statues that fell and broke from an earthquake in antiquity, have painstakingly been restored and placed back in their original spots.
In front, you’ll find only one obelisk of what used to be a pair. If you’re looking for the second one, you’ll have to visit the Place de la Concorde in Paris. It was this second obelisk that, if you recall, was given to King Louis-Philippe of France in exchange for the green clock tower that has never worked, at the Mosque of Muhammed Ali in Cairo. For centuries, this entire temple was buried under sand. A 14th mosque inside the temple shows illustrates where ground level used to be before excavation.
Luxor Temple was constructed primarily by Amenhotep III and Ramses II, a theme you’ll find throughout all of Egypt. But other ancient pharaohs, Alexander the Great, the Ptolemys, and even the Romans all added on their touch to this temple through the centuries. In the middle of the temple, you’ll find the astounding hypostyle hall, with dozens of towering papyrus columns.
