Luxor | History & Facts - Encyclopedia Britannica

Later history

When Thebes declined politically, Luxor remained the populated part of the town, which huddled around the Ramesside pylon. A Roman legion had its headquarters inside the 18th-dynasty temple, and Coptic churches were built around the temple and in the Ramesside court. In the Fāṭimid period (909–1171), a mosque was built over the foundations of the church in the court; the mosque was dedicated to Sheikh Yūsuf al-Ḥaggāg, a local saint who is reputed to have introduced Islam to Luxor. His feast is celebrated with a boat procession resembling an ancient rite, the festival of Opet, during which, on the 19th day of the second month, Amon was said to come from Karnak on his state barge to visit his other temple at Luxor, escorted by the people of Thebes in holiday attire. Reliefs on the walls of the great colonnade depict preparations for the procession of sacred barks during the festival.

Luxor, together with other Theban sites—Karnak, the Valley of the Queens, and the Valley of the Kings—was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1979. Excavations and preservation efforts have been ongoing. In 1988 the Egyptian Antiquities Organization uncovered numerous 18th-dynasty statues at the court of Amenhotep III, and work to excavate and preserve the court continued through the following decades. In the 21st century a project began to excavate the avenue of sphinxes between the Temple of Luxor and the Great Temple of Amon at Karnak.

Arabic: Al-Uqṣur (Show more) Also called: El-Aksur (Show more) Related Topics: ancient Egyptian religion archaeology temple (Show more) Related Places: ancient Egypt (Show more) See all related content

The contemporary city, a market town for the surrounding agricultural district, has grown north, south, and east of the temple. It has a number of churches, as a large proportion of the population is Christian, and mosques. There is also a railway station on the Cairo-Aswān railroad, an airport, and ferry service to the western bank. The Luxor Museum was opened in 1975. Numerous tourist facilities were built in the latter part of the 20th century.

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