KNOWN in antiquity as Thebes, Luxor takes its name from the Arabic al-Uqsur (the palaces). It is a town that merits both poetry and a grain of pragmatism. One of the world's most popular destinations, Luxor, some 670km south of Cairo, lives (or dies) from tourism, But if a wellworn path has been trodden to every sight you see, Luxor's universal value in terms of art, natural beauty, and historic monuments is undeniable. Recently the town has become Egypt's 29th governorate. Sunset in Luxor has a transcendent beauty. As the red orb returns to the western lands, setting the landscape ablaze, consider that this civilisation was already ancient in antiquity. Egyptians who witnessed the erection of Abu Simbel, for example, knew even then that the pyramids were at least 2,000 years old. On the east bank of the Nile, the modern town thrives amongst the temples to the living. Across the river; the western Theban hills, with their tomb and temple openings gaping black in the beige stone, are dedicated to the dead. They are a constant presence in Luxor, as are the clip-clop and jangle of horse-drawn caleches and the twittering of birds. Along the tree lined Corniche, clusters of tall felucca masts hem the shore, and the boat captains approach and ask: "Other side?" When you cross the Nile to the west bank you enter another world, where against a background of modest mud-brick dwellings and pastoral calm lie the Valley of the Kings and Valley of the Queens ��" awesome rockhewn demonstrations of political muscle. Karnak Temple: Karnak is, without a doubt, the most complex and impressive assemblage of Ancient Egyptian religious monuments. The site is divided into three major precincts, dedicated respectively to the divinities Amun-Ra (the central complex), Mut (south of the central complex), and Montu (north). Inside the temple precinct, as in the Temple of Luxor; the Theban Triad of Amun-Ra, Mut, and Khonsu were the deities worshiped. The enclosure also includes smaller sanctuaries dedicated to Khonsu, Ptah, and Opet. The various temples were continuously enlarged and restored from at least the time of the Middle Kingdom down to the Roman period. We owe the most immense and enduring structures to the pharaohs of the New Kingdom. The 660-yard-long main axis of Karnak proceeds from west to east, oriented toward the Nile. Another axis extends south toward Luxor from the midpoint of the main axis. An avenue of ram-headed sphinxes, protecting statuettes of Pinudjem I between their front legs, opens the way to the entrance of the First Pylon. This pylon was left unfinished by the kings of the 30th Dynasty. It is the most recent of all the pylons of Karnak, as well as being the most monumental on-site. Against the pylon, on the right side of Karnak's first forecourt, are the remains of ancient mud-brick scaffolding, used for the erection of the pylon. In the centre of the court, a single open-papyrus column remains of what once was the 10-columned kiosk of Taharqa (690-664BC), an Ethiopian pharaoh of the 25th Dynasty. The small temple on the left side of the forecourt entrance is the Shrine of Seti 11 (19th Dynasty), some 1,000 years older than the First Pylon. Seti II built this building, with its three small chapels, to receive the sacred barques of the Theban Triad (Amun- Ra in the centre, Mut on the left, and Khonsu on the right) during the Opet processions. The barques are depicted on the walls of each chapel. In the southeast portion of the forecourt, the Temple of Ramsis III (20th Dynasty) is fronted by two colossi representing the king. It has the same structure as most New Kingdom temples: a pylon, a court with 20 Osirid statues of the king (Ramsis III in the form of Osiris), and a hypostyle hall. Like others, the sanctuary is divided into three parts for the cult of the Theban Triad. Next along the compound's main axis, the Second Pylon was built during the reign of Horemheb (18th Dynasty). Most of the pylon was filled with blocks dismantled from buildings of the heretic Pharaoh Akhenaten. The second pylon opens onto the Hypostyle Hall. Before you plunge into this fantastical court, the statue of Amun-Ra, in the company of a king, is on the left. Then wander into what seems like a stone forest ��" with its breathtaking 134 columns. Not only are the dimensions gigantic, but the colours and hieroglyphs are remarkable. The 12 columns alongside the processional way have open-papyrus capitals, while the remaining 122 columns have papyrus-bud capitals and are smaller. New Kingdom pharaohs built the elaborate hall: Ramsis I began the decoration in the 19th Dynasty; Ramsis III completed it some 120 years later in the 20th Dynasty. Amenhotep 111 (18th Dynasty) constructed the Third Pylon, which leads to the Obelisk of Thutmose 1 (18th Dynasty), inside the Court of Amenhotep III. The Fourth Pylon, erected by Thutmose I, gives access to the colonnade of Thutmose I, where an Obelisk of Hatshepsut (18th Dynasty), one of two, still stands. The lower part of the obelisk is well preserved because Thutmose III, Hatshepsut's successor; encased it with a brick wall ��" probably not to preserve it, however; because in other places he usurped her monuments and tried to erase her name from history. Perhaps the intention here was to mask its presence within the temple proper. Pass through the Fifth and Sixth Pylons. In the vestibule that follows, look for the two Pillars of Thutmose III, before the sanctuary, representing the union of Egypt. The papyrus (left) signifies Lower Egypt, and the lotus (right) represents Upper Egypt. There is also an elegant statue of the gods Amun-Ra and Amunet, carved during the reign of Tutankhamun. The Sanctuary of the Sacred Barques, behind the vestibule, was built by Philip III Arrhidaeus, brother and successor of Alexander the Great. It is made of red granite. It is best to visit the Temple of Karnak early in the morning for a few reasons: massive groups of people begin arriving around 9am, slanting light calls relief carvings into better focus, and later in the day the heat can be overwhelming. Courtesy of Fodor's Egypt, an American University in Cairo Press publication.
