Pathway into the Past
Luxor reopened the Avenue of Sphinxes, a two kilometer processional road connecting Karnak Temple to Luxor Temple, restored with more than 1,000 statues that once guided the Opet Festival. Built across centuries and completed under King Nectanebo I in the fourth century BCE, the avenue carried the gods Amun Re, Mut, and Khonsu in ceremonial barques with music and ritual. The modern unveiling echoed that grandeur with processions, costumes, and light. A 2023 study using GIS and spatial analysis examined how the avenue fits into Luxor’s dense cityscape, urging heritage sensitive planning to preserve clear sightlines and visual integrity. Read more → | See procession →
Mohammed Moussa, Avenue of Sphinxes, Luxor, 2013. CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons.