Ancient site · Temple
Luxor Temple
Also known as Ipet resyt
A large temple on the east bank of the Nile in Luxor (ancient Thebes), begun around 1400 BCE by Amenhotep III. It was dedicated to the renewal of kingship, and statues of Amun were carried here from Karnak each year in the Opet festival.
Ramesses II added the front pylon, colossal statues and two obelisks; one now stands in Paris. In Roman times it became part of a legionary fort, and a mosque still stands on its walls.
- Dates
- c. 1400 BCE to Roman times
- Still standing
- Yes
- UNESCO World Heritage
- Yes
- Location
- 25.70° N, 32.64° E
How we know
Inscriptions on the temple name its builders, Amenhotep III, Tutankhamun, Ramesses II and Alexander.
Nearby sites
- Karnak Temple Complex c. 1970 BCE to Roman times
- Hierakonpolis (Nekhen) c. 4000–2686 BCE (main period)
- Abydos c. 4000 BCE – late Roman times
- Abu Simbel temples c. 1264–1244 BCE
- Nabta Playa c. 7500–3500 BCE; stone circle 5th millennium BCE
- Step Pyramid of Djoser, Saqqara c. 2667–2648 BCE