Luxor

November 19, Thursday: In the afternoon, we went over to Luxor temple - a perfect compliment to seeing Karnak temple earlier in the day. A sphinx alleyway, now under renovation, once linked the two sites. We were lucky enough to have our tour of Luxor provided by none other than Ray Johnson, director of the Oriental Institute Epigraphic Survey, whose headquarters in Luxor, known as Chicago House, received us for a warm reception in the evening. At Luxor temple, focus was on the battle scenes of Ramses II, the divine birth of Amenhotep III, and the recently conserved Roman paintings which show that the apse in the back of the temple once functioned in the divine cult of the emperors under the tetrarchy, rather than as a church as previously thought. We would like to thank Ray for taking time out of his busy schedule to give us an amazingly insightful tour of the temple loaded with all kinds of insider information!

First Pylon of Luxor Temple: Sun forming the Akhet hieroglyph with the pylon

First Pylon as depicted in the first court

Divine Birth of Amenhotep III: Khnum creates the body and ka of the king on the potters wheel

Ray Johnson at Luxor Temple

Roman Paintings in Luxor Temple