About Luxor Temple

The Luxor Temple (Arabic: معبد الأقصر) is a large Ancient Egyptian temple complexbelongs to the east bank of the Nile River in the city today known as Luxor (ancient Thebes) and was constructed approximately 1400 BCE. In the Egyptian language people call it as ipet resyt, “the southern sanctuary”. It was one of the two primary temples on the east bank, the other being Karnak. Unlike the other temples in Thebes, Luxor temple is not dedicated to a cult god or a deified version of the pharaoh in death. Instead, it belongs to the rejuvenation of kingship; it may have been where many of the pharaohs of Egypt made cermonies in reality or conceptually.

To the rear of the temple are chapels that Amenhotep III of the 18th Dynasty, and Alexander built. Other parts of the temple Tutankhamun and Ramesses II built them. During the Roman era. The temple and its surroundings were a legionary fortress and the home of the Roman government in the area. During the Roman period a chapel inside the Luxor Temple originally belongs to the goddess Mut people transformed it into a Tetrarchy cult chapel and later into a church.

Along with the other archeological sites in Thebes, the UNESCOt inscribed he Luxor Temple on World Heritage list in 1979.

Abu Haggag Mosque

The active Abu Haggag Mosque (مسجد أبو الحجاج بالأقصر) is located within the temple, standing on the ancient columns themselves. That part of it the Romans converted it to a church by  in 395 AD. And finally, then to a mosque in 640, which is more than 3,400 years of continuous religious worship.

Defacement

In 2013, a Chinese student posted a picture of engraved graffiti that read “Ding Jinhao was here” (Chinese: 丁锦昊到此一游) in Chinese on a sculpture. This discovery spurred debate about increased tourism after the media confirmed a Chinese student caused this and other defacements.