Set in the middle of the ancient capital of Thebes, Luxor Temple has been in almost continuous use as a place of worship since its construction in the 13th century BC. Towering statues of Ramses II stand guard at Luxor Temple © Visions Of Our Land / Getty Images Luxor Templeįollow the nearly excavated avenue lined with sphinxes three kilometres from Karnak to Luxor Temple, anchored by two colossal statues of Ramses II, one of ancient Egypt’s greatest leaders who loved to show his power by plastering his face on the kingdom’s monuments. So new in fact, that construction was never completed, and the remnants of the mudbrick ramps that workers used to assemble this gateway still lie there waiting to be used millennia later. The farther back you walk into the complex, the further back in time you travel, making the area that you first enter comparatively new. Over a span of 1500 years, Karnak was constructed, chopped, changed, razed and rebuilt by 30 pharaohs.
Karnak’s secret lies at its entrance, and it’s tempting to rush straight past the bland, undecorated walls to explore the treasures within.
But there’s plenty more to explore, though some areas are still being excavated.
Some visitors never make it past the gargantuan Temple of Amun-Ra, the terrestrial ‘home’ of the king of the gods and father of the pharaoh, which sprouts with a forest of 10m-tall, hieroglyphic-covered columns (indeed, some might still be lost within this playground prime for playing hide-and-go-seek). Ten cathedrals could be stuffed inside the space, which covers more than 2 sq km and contains multiple temples, timeworn houses and a sacred pool for offerings and sacrifices. Get lost in the forest of pillars at Karnak, one of the world's largest religious complexes © Pablo Charlón / Getty Images KarnakĮgypt’s largest temple complex, Karnak was the Vatican of its day.