Luxor Temple is well-known for its magnificent facade of six colossal statues of Ramses II (otherwise known as Ramses the Great. It is dedicated to the god Amun, when every year during “the beautiful feast of the valley” Amun would travel to Luxor Temple to celebrate the renewal of life with the Nile flooding. Ancient Egyptians called the site “Ibet-Resyt", the southern shrine.
The temple was built by Amenhotep III and expanded by later pharaohs. Queen Hatshepsut built three shrines; Ramses II dismantled, repurposed and relocated many of these buildings, a hallmark of his 'recycling' architectural strategy. The temple has a decorative sanctuary made by Amenhotep III, and restored by Alexander the Great. To mark these efforts, Alexander put his name into a cartouche which still exists within the temple.
One of the highlights of the temple is the blueprint of the facade, which was made by the architects. This has given archeologists valuable insight into the construction process of the temple. The temple held two obelisks; one is still standing, while the second was gifted to France and now stands at the Place de la Concorde in Paris.
The temple opens at 6:00am and closes at 8:00pm; many visitors find the best time to visit is at sunset.
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