Temple of Luxor, Egypt

 We docked at the port of Safaga in Egypt, which required a 3 1/2 hour bus ride to reach the ancient Egyptian capital of Luxor. The bus ride itself was very educational, as it showed clearly the life of people living in the Nile River Delta. Wherever irrigation water is present there are people working in the fields, growing a wide variety of grain and vegetables. Where there is no water, the desert is extremely dry, with almost no vegetation of any kind. Every possible mode of transportation is visible including lots of donkey carts even in the big cities, three wheeled carts, cars etc. The donkeys are part of the family in farm workers household, and many can be trusted to deliver a routine lunch to the workers in the field near their home. 

Donkeys, motorcycle and a three wheeled vehicle all within one block.

Farming happens everywhere beside well developed urban areas, with lots of goats and donkeys in the fields.

It is common to see this style of home, built like a block, and with unfinished rebar extending out the roof. If a son marries, they add another floor for the new family unit. This  home is in the process of getting a new floor.

Goats in the street in the middle of Luxor, a large city.

Because our time was limited We focused on the Temple of Luxor on the Nile River  before heading to the Valley of the Kings about a 1/2 hour drive away. The large temple complex of Luxor was added onto by many pharaohs, but the main builders were Amenhotep lll and Ramses ll. It honors Amun Ra, The ancient God of sun and air, considered to be the God of Kings and King of Gods, and dates to 1400 BC. 

The Avenue of the Sphinxes is a 2.7 km avenue that contains 1,060 sphinxes lined up on both sides, each abut 12 feet apart, which was fully restored in 2015.  It connects the Temple of Karnak with the Luxor temple complex, and was used once a year for a procession and festival signaling the start of the new growing season, and Amun Ra. 

The entrance to the Luxor Temple complex. If you look to the right of the large obelisk, their is another empty base. The matching obelisk now resides in Paris, France on the Place De La Concord.

A vey well preserved statue of Ramses ll

 If you look to the second story of the wall you will see a decorated doorway. This was the entrance to a mosque that was built on the temple foundations, and was ground level when excavations of the temple complex began in the late 1,800's.

There are many inscriptions on the bases of the statues. A closeup below shows African prisoners, with facial tattoos, large earrings, war shields, and hands tied behind their backs.

Notice the area of the black line rectangle in the upper right corner of the area under restoration. This was once at ground level, and is an example of early Christian "graffiti". It was painted by early Coptic Christians who were using the ancient  temple complex for worship, and is a depiction of the twelve disciples. 

A closeup of the twelve disciples Coptic  mural. All over the Luxor complex, the original colors of ancient murals are still visible, a  testament to the viability of the natural minerals used for pigments. Christianity flourished in ancient Egypt shortly after the death of Jesus. "Coptic" means Egypt in ancient Greek. Egypt gradually converted to the Muslim faith over a period of about 500  years after Egypt was conquered by Arab tribes.