Luxor Temple

Located right next to where our cruise was docked in Luxor was the Luxor Temple (surprise, surprise). The Luxor Temple connects ancient and modern history. The current site is a relic of architecture and culture that dates back to 1392 BCE, combined with traces of Christianity from 395 AD. There were ten different sections that comprised this massive temple complex, including the First Pylon, Roman Camp, Mosquem Court of Ramses II, Court of Amenhotep III, Chapel of Mut, Chapel of Khonsu, Chapel of Amun, the Birth Chamber, and Avenue of the Sphinxes. However, out of all the temples we visited during our tour, the Luxor Temple was one of our shorter visits.

We visited the Luxor Temple immediately after our early flight from Cairo to Luxor and our tour of the Karnak Temple. I think one of the reasons I felt the Luxor Temple was smaller was because we went to the Luxor Temple after visiting the Karnak Temple, which was a massive site. That doesn't mean the Luxor Temple was anything less than impressive. The front entrance was gigantic, with statues of Ramses II greeting us. The Luxor Temple was mainly used for celebratory events such as festivals and coronations (Alexander the Great was crowned a Pharaoh here!). We saw one of the oldest roads in history, the Avenue of Sphinx, that connected two main temples on the east bank of the Nile River. 

The Tourist Gaze and the Temple

I would argue the approach to tourism Egypt takes is certainly a very interesting one. In 1979, the Luxor Temple was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site as a part of Ancient Thebes with its Necropolis. While there are practices to prolong the life cycle of a tourist site, it’s very easy to tell that Egypt prioritizes the immersion and experience of tourists. Compared to a museum where historical artifacts are barred, put in glass cases, and heavily protected, the security at Luxor Temple and most other sites in Egypt is very relaxed. It was very rare for somebody to reprimand a tourist if they decided to touch any of the hieroglyphics. 

The Luxor Temple is also situated in a place that acts as a wall that divides the world of the tourists and the local inhabitants of the city. The cruising and tourism industry has created a phenomenon in Luxor where floods of tourists would overtake a city to visit one or two sites for a day or so before returning to their cruise and continuing their journey down the Nile. By no means am I trying to put myself on a high horse; I was, by every definition, a tourist during my time in Egypt. I can also admit that I also sought out an “authentic” experience. Thus, seeing the streets and markets of Luxor was fascinating to me, despite how ordinary this would have been if it were back in the States and even more so if it were in Viet Nam. However, Luxor, and Egypt as a whole, is so much more than just a historical site. Once we move on from its past, Luxor becomes a modern, bustling city.