Online Encyclopedia

Search over 40,000 articles from the original, classic Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th Edition.

LUXOR

Online Encyclopedia
Originally appearing in Volume V17, Page 147 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
Spread the word: del.icio.us del.icio.us it!

LUXOR , more properly El-Aksur, " The Castles" (plur. of kasr), a See also:

town of Upper See also:Egypt, on the See also:east See also:bank of the See also:Nile 450 M. above See also:Cairo by See also:river and 418 by See also:rail. Pop. (1907 See also:census) 12,644. It is the centre for visitors to the ruins of and about See also:Thebes, and is frequented by travellers and invalids in the See also:winter See also:season, several See also:fine hotels having been built for their See also:accommodation. There are See also:Anglican and See also:Roman See also:Catholic churches, and a See also:hospital for natives, opened in 1891. The See also:district is the seat of an extensive manufacture of forged antiques. The See also:temple of Luxor is one of the greatest of the monuments of Thebes (q.v.). It stands near the river bank on the S.W. See also:side of the town and See also:measures nearly 300 yds. from back to front. There may have been an earlier temple here, but the See also:present structure, dedicated to the Theban triad of See also:Ammon, Mut and Khons, was erected by Amenophis III. The See also:great See also:colonnade, which is its most striking feature, was apparently intended for the See also:nave of a See also:hypostyle See also:hall like that of See also:Karnak, but had to be hastily finished without the aisles. After the See also:heresy of Amenophis IV. (Akhenaton), the decoration of this incomplete See also:work was taken in See also:hand by Tutenkhamun and Haremhib.

The See also:

axis of the temple ran from S.W. to N.E.; a See also:long paved road bordered by recumbent rams led from the See also:facade to the temples of Karnak (q.v.) in a somewhat more easterly direction, and See also:Rameses II. adopted the See also:line of this See also:avenue in adding an extensive See also:court to the work of Amenophis, producing a curious See also:change of axis. He embellished the walls and pylons of his court with scenes from his victories over See also:Hittites and Syrians, and placed a number of See also:colossal statues within it. In front of the pylon Rameses set up colossi and a pair of obelisks (one of which was taken to See also:Paris in 1831 and re-erected in the See also:Place de la Concorde). A few scenes and See also:inscriptions were added by later See also:kings, but the above is practically the See also:history of the temple until See also:Alexander the Great rebuilt the See also:sanctuary itself. The See also:chief religious festival of Thebes was that of " See also:Southern Opi," the See also:ancient name of Luxor. The sacred barks of the divinities preserved in the sanctuary of Karnak were then conveyed in procession by See also:water to Luxor and back again; a See also:representation of the festal scenes is given on the walls of the great colonnade. The Christians built churches within the temple. The greater See also:part of the old See also:village of Luxor See also:lay inside the courts: it was known also as See also:Abu '1 Haggag from a Moslem See also:saint of the 7th See also:century, whose See also:tomb-See also:mosque, mentioned by See also:Ibn Batuta, stands on a high heap of debris in the court of Rameses. This is the last of the buildings and rubbish which encumbered the temple before the See also:expropriation and clearances by the Service See also:des Antiquites began in 1885. The See also:principal See also:street of Luxor follows the line of the ancient avenue. See G. Daressy, See also:Notice explicative des ruines du temple de Louxor (Cairo, 1893) ; See also:Baedeker's Egypt.

(F. LL.

End of Article: LUXOR

Additional information and Comments

There are no comments yet for this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Please link directly to this article:
Highlight the code below, right click, and select "copy." Then paste it into your website, email, or other HTML.
Site content, images, and layout Copyright © 2006 - Net Industries, worldwide.
Do not copy, download, transfer, or otherwise replicate the site content in whole or in part.

Links to articles and home page are always encouraged.

[back]
LUXEMBURG, FRANCOIS HENRI DE MONTMORENCYBOUTEVILLE,...
[next]
LUXORIUS