LUXOR TEMPLE
'Make your offerings with what you find in your hands,
If you have nothing; make your offerings with words'
If you have nothing; make your offerings with words'
I have walked through the grounds of Luxor temple during the freshness of a new day, the chaos and heat of midday, and the warmth of a starlit evening, when the temple and its colossal statues simply glow against the evening sky. It was during such an evening when I realized that I had left my dull English life behind me, and I had entered into the powerful world of ancient Egypt.
Walking towards the temple of Luxor, it is difficult to imagine its appearance since ancient times when the temple stood alone, unhindered by hotels and shops, the fertile river lapped its edges and allowed the Holy barque access to its embankment. Its Vibrant pylons rose from the edges of a barren landscape in a triumphant blaze of symbolic art, a masterpiece that inspired the weary traveler and lifted the heart with its festivals with every piece of wall radiating colour, its four sturdy flags proudly flying on their masts secured into the grooves of the front pylon. The artisans that brought the temple walls to life have been dead for thousands of years, and so today the walls have calmly settled into their old age, their colors having been subdued and erased by time and the heat of the sun. Only the faded relief’s and deeper cut sacred and magical words of the kings and gods remain to tell a story of the temples former glories.
I feel that Luxor temple is a unique temple as it is not the home of a god, nor is it a mortuary temple; this temple was created to celebrate Birth, and rejuvenation. Every year a wonderful celebration was held here known as the Opet Festival, when the king led the sacred barques of the God Amun his wife Mut and their son Khonsu, during the celebrations the king and Egypt was symbolically reborn every year, the king would disappear from the festival and re-emerge seven days later from the birth room, so when I think of Luxor temple I imagine it as a living womb, and when it was time for the birth the festival and ceremony of the birth was enacted. Luxor temple was connected to Karnack temple by a long umbilical cord, or avenue of sphinx, over the centuries the sphinx have been buried beneath the sand and the ties of energy between the two temples have been trampled on but these last few years the area around the temple has been cleared and more of the sphinx have been found and released from the sand, it is my hope that one day people will be able to walk the whole avenue once more following in the footsteps of the King and the priests from Karnack temple to Luxor
The main pylons of the temple celebrate Ramses the Great and his victory over the Hittites at the battle of Kaddesh which took place during the fifth year of the king’s reign. Ramses is shown in large relief whilst his enemies are represented in small scale to inspire his people of their Kings unquestionable supremacy and invincible strength against all the enemies of Egypt. In faint relief on the right side of the pylon, is a depiction of the kings encampment before the battle is shown, his large tent stands in the center surrounded by the smaller tents of his troop, cavalry horses and chariots wait, whilst a lion trainer controls the beast that is anchored to a ring in the ground, a man is being beaten for information in the top corner of the encampment whilst soldiers continue with their normal chores and duties. On the highest level of the left pylon, Ramses charges fearlessly across the battleground, his bow is taught and the arrows ready to fly as his chariot recklessly hurtles in to the midst of his enemies, he is alone and completely surrounded cut off from his troops, he had compromised himself with his actions, and yet like the raging lion Sekhmet his strength is increased as he tears into the enemies scattering and maiming them beneath the wheels of his chariot.
Two colossal statues of Ramses 11 sit firmly on the throne of two lands framing the entrance into the temple, his head is erect and proud with eyes that hold a calm and steady gaze into the future, on each side of his leg his beloved chief wife Queen Nefertari is sensuous and elegant; she displays her divine and naked beauty wearing only a simple pair of shoes, whilst her left hand gently embraces his leg. Standing between his legs a small image of his eldest daughter Merit Amon is also portrayed, who also became his wife; the figures are badly damaged and barely recognizable. Like her mother she was greatly loved by Ramses and was known as ‘The one who fills the forecourt with the scent of her fragrance' and 'the beloved of the Lord of The Two Lands', On each side of this throne the god Hapi- Meht of Upper Egypt and his twin Hapi- Reset of Lower Egypt face each other, both of them hold the plant of their region, a lotus and papyrus that they pull tightly, creating a knot that symbolizes the union of upper and lower Egypt. The knot gathers around a windpipe and at their feet are the lungs of Egypt. At the base of the throne, a row of Nubian and Asian men taken in battle are portrayed with their arms tied behind their backs, their necks are bound leashing them together in slavery.
A Single Obelisk stands beneath the pylon, in 1835 the Pasha of Egypt Mohammed Ali gave its twin obelisk to France in recognition of Champillion having deciphered the Rosetta stone, which allowed the world to read and understand the words of the ancient Egyptians that had remained silent for thousands of years .The twin obelisk now stands in The Palace de la Concorde at Paris, the spell of protection that the two combined Obelisks offered the perimeters of the temple have been severed. Standing beneath the remaining obelisk it’s perfect sharp edged sides reach for the sun, paying homage to the god Ra, whose rays flash down it to highlight bold vertical lines of deep inscriptions that inspire the traveler to utter the names of Ramses making him immortal once more, his authority of the land is invoked and assured again, The Horus, Mighty Bull, Exalter of Thebes, Favorite of the Two Goddess, establishing monuments for his father Amun who placed him on the Throne, Golden Horus seeking excellent things for him who fashioned him King of Upper and Lower Egypt, Usamatre, Chosen of Re.
Once the call to prayer was over, I decided to look at the three barque chapels that are attached to the back of the front pylon of the temple and are dedicated to Amon, his wife Mut and their son Khonsu. These were originally created by Hatshepsut and Tuthmosis111 in the 18th dynasty but then renewed by Ramses11 during his reign
The first barque chapel is the Chapel of Khonsu, the son of Amun Ra and Mut. Looking at the walls you will see the barque of Khonsu with the head of Horus; there are offerings of food, chickens & bread. Khonsu was a Moon God and a God of War. His name means 'Wanderer' which probably refers to the passage of the moon across the sky. He was 'The Light of the Night’ and was represented in several different ways, sometimes he was a mummified child standing upright with one side lock of hair. He was also portrayed as a youth with the head of a falcon, on top of which was a combination of a crescent and moon disc. Originally Khonsu was a violent god of war but he developed into a god of healing.
The middle barque chapel is dedicated to Amun Ra the God of the Sun, he wears a sun disc between his two feathered plumes He became the supreme God of the Egyptians, his name Amun means 'The Hidden One', he was thought of as the invisible force of the wind. Ra means Ray of Light because he illuminates everything that is in shadow He had the power of creation within him, whatever he named came into existence; he was the life power and source of the universe. At each side wall are priest holes which also enabled them to pull the boat inside the chapel, prayers and offerings would be given from within. Stand inside, close your eyes, place your arms over your chest cross- wise in prayer, have a few quiet moments, empty your mind of all thoughts and let your senses take you back in time. No one is looking, let your mind be free, for a few moments let the door to your heart open and allow the spirits of Amun his priests and sages flow through to lift and enlighten you.
The third barque chapel is that of Mut, the wife of Amun Re, she was a mother goddess and a sky goddess. The role of Luxor temple was to celebrate the marriage of Amon to Mut each year at the Opet Festival. On the walls inside the chapel you can see the barque of Mut, The Goddess Mut was usually represented as a woman wearing a headdress in the shape of a vulture, on top of which was the double crown of Lower and Upper Egypt
Leaving these chapels I walked down a few steps and passed the rows of columns and striding statues of Ramses to look at the relief’s engraved on the side wall. Looking up into the corner of the wall there was a large relief of Ramses with Amun Re and Mut, followed by Ramses with the Fertility God Amun Min, Min is portrayed as a man with an erect penis, he appears to have only one arm and one leg, he was the God of sexual activity and fertility. He brought new life to the world and the pharaoh. Continuing along this wall I saw the priests driving the oxen to slaughter for the feast of the Opet. As I followed this avenue of columns and statues I arrived at the corner facing wall where I saw a row of 17 sons of Ramses, they are shown walking towards a small and very delicately cut relief that shows the front of the temple with both its original obelisks .
Arriving beneath the two statues of Ramses sitting on his Throne of Two Lands, more slaves from Nubia and Asia are captured and leashed beneath his throne, Nefertari embraces his leg again, and the entrance between these seated statues leads to the Processional Colonnade of Tutenkhamun and Horemheb. On the back of Rameses statue the Goddess Sheshat and her husband the God Thoth are engraved. Every Egyptian temple was created as an image of the cosmos and therefore to build a temple or add a new section became an act of creation. The pharaoh would consult the goddess Sheshat who embodied the essence of cosmic intuition, She was the Mistress of Architects, and with the pharaoh she would hold a foundation ritual known as ‘The stretching of the cord’ to measure and lay plans for the temples axis by aid of the stars. Sheshat also kept important records of the king’s life and recorded the time that had been allocated to him by the gods for his stay on earth. Her instructions came from the cosmos and Amon; she writes down the years Ramses will rule.
Leaving the courtyard of Ramses11, I walked between his two seated statues into the Processional Colonnade, a narrow hallway that no longer has a roof but is instead dominated by the remaining tall papyrus columns that were began during the reign of Tutankhamen at the end of the hallway a few steps lead up from this hallway into the vast Sun Court, and festival Hall of Amenhotep 111 that is surrounded by an army of 96 columns. In 1989 restoration work was begun in the court and a cache of 22 statues were found that had been buried by priests during the Roman invasion who had transformed the temple grounds into a legion camp. The cache is now on show at Luxor Museum
Towards the end of his own reign Amenhotep 111 took his son Amenhotep1V as co-regent, after the death of his father Amenhotep was then crowned King, and so began a tidal wave of changes for the priests and all the Temples of Amun, where beliefs that had prevailed for thousands of years would radically be swept aside within five years, because Amenhotep realized that he could not make changes to the existing order of Amun, he made vast heretic changes to the ancient religion of Egypt, Insisting that the only god that should be worshiped was the God of the Sun the Aten. Leaving Waset he moved his entire court to a totally uninhabited strip of desert between Weset and the Delta that he named Akhetaten, ‘The Horizon of the Aten, now known as Armarna. He then abolished the existing order of Amun, and changed his name to Akenaten: ‘Beautiful-essence -of-the-sun-only-one -of-the-sun.' He closed all the temples of Amun causing severe hardship for many people. The god Amun and the powers of its priests were not restored in Weset until after Akenhatens death, when Smenkaare ruled for a year, but the history of this king is vague, he was then followed by Tutenkhaten who returned to Weset with his slightly older wife Ankhesenpaaten, the third daughter of Akhenaton. This young couple under the guidance of Aye began to restore order from the chaos that Akhenaten had created; they changed their names to Tutankhamun and Ankhesenamun expressing their loyalty once more to the God Amun. As part of the renewal of the temple of Luxor after its neglect during the heretic reign of Akhenaton, Tutenkhamun began work on the Processional Colonnade that connects the courtyard of Ramses11 with the Hall of Festivals of Amenophis 111. Sitting on one side of the hallway you will have passed the enchanting statues of the young King Tutankhamun and his wife Anaksenamun; their faces are childlike and innocent, Tutankhamen also sits on the opposite side with Amun.
Walking between the tall columns the inner walls show relief’s of the Opet festival that was held during the summer when the Nile floods, musicians playing their drums oboe and sistrum, dancers gyrate like acrobats to their music, oxen are slaughtered and sumptuous amounts of food are prepared for the feast. the festival celebrations lasted for three weeks when sacred boats bearing the images of the Gods Amun, his wife Mut and their son Khonsu and representations of the king and his ka were carried by the priests down the Avenue of Sphinxes from Karnack temple on their arrival at Luxor temple they were greeted with elaborate reception ceremonies welcoming the God and his entourage.
Beyond the Festival hall you now arrive at the heart of the Temple which has smaller chambers, and contains The Sacred Barque shrine that originally had acacia wooden doors inlaid with gold. The scenes on its walls were plastered over during the rule of Alexander the Great, and show him dressed as a pharaoh, entering and receiving the two crowns of Upper and Lower Egypt and making offerings to the God Amun.
I circled around the outside of the barque shrine and walked through a doorway that led into a suite of rooms that represent the bedroom of Amun where the festival rituals took place, and the pharaoh retired to the Birth Room, from which he would later emerge symbolically re-born and restored. The statues of the king’s ka were no longer on display because the ka was now believed to have taken residence in the pharaoh’s body. Reliefs in the birth room represent Amon choosing the Queen Mutemweje to give birth to his son. He sent Thoth with the message to the queen and ordered Khnum to create an image of himself on his potter’s wheel. The boy child Amenophis was born into the world created by Amon and then crowned as the King. I realized the similarity of this sequence of events of this ancient Egyptian relief as it compares to our Christmas story of the angel coming to visit Mary to tell her that she will give birth to the son of God. As the Royal scribe Ani said; ‘God reveals himself in millions of forms’
Having looked around the temple from an historical view, finally let’s walk through the Temple of Luxor with the magic of the night together. I found Luxor temple to be a very moving and spiritual place, the curator of the gift shop Hamade invited myself and my friend Vivienne to walk through the temple with him one evening and pray, he told us he had worked in the temple for seventeen years, his whole life evolves around the temple, so we walked into the Chapels of Amun Mut and Khonsu and we all held hands under the stars and prayed to his humming sounds. It was a special evening for Vivienne and me that allowed us a glimpse of an ancient faith that combines a sense of mystery history calm and peace.
It was during my first visit to Luxor Temple that I had called into the shop and I met Hamde who enjoyed explaining the different sections of the temple to me, and as I left the shop he asked me if I prayed. I told him that I did so he asked me if I would like to call back and see him once I had looked around the Temple, he said that he would like to pray with me, so after my journey around the temple I returned to see him where he asked me to stand before a statue of Amun Mut and Khonsu. He told me to close my eyes and cross my arms over my chest which I did, gradually my body relaxed as I listened to his peaceful hum, and then I felt a breeze as his hands touched the aura around my body, occasionally he jiggled me, and finally he gently placed his hand on my forehead for a few minutes peace. I felt totally calm and serene, I wasn't sure how long the prayers lasted , only that I felt as if a part of me had somehow left my body and then returned to it again, and when I opened my eyes he smiled at me. We shook hands wishing each other well and then I left the temple to make my way to the bazaar and lunch. Walking normally through the Bazaar it was a while before my friend asked me if I was still okay to walk, I was amazed but confused as I was no longer in pain. I had been rather ill on several occasions where my spine had somehow twisted and left me bent in half and unable to walk at all, the pain had been excruciating, unfortunately I had suffered another bout before our holiday and had been to the osteopath who had repaired some of the damage but still left me in pain and walking with a limp. To my confusion and relief I had to admit that some thing unexplainable had happened to me whilst I had prayed with Hamde but much to my relief I was now pain free and able to enjoy the remainder of my holiday free from pain and the embarrassing limp that went with it.
To conclude my experiences of Luxor Temple I would like to tell you of the most exciting letter that I have ever received from a friend. Vivienne wrote to me last year and I will relate the letter to you:
'My daughter Fran and her fiancé David decided that they would like to visit Egypt when I next went. As David doesn’t like the heat too much, I suggested February. They said if it were possible they would like to get married there. So--- I went out for a week last month and I have arranged for them to be married on February 8th, at Luxor Temple!! It will be in the evening when the temple is floodlit and there will be an Egyptian style ceremony with contracts in both Arabic and English .I went to see a special lawyer, who asked a price of _____, but I haggled, and we agreed on ______. I considered it was worth it because it is a once in a lifetime experience. We are having flower decked caliches and a small reception at The Golden Palace Rooftop Garden complete with a belly dancer. They will of course have to be married again in England to meet English laws but the family will want to all be there anyway.'
The thought of such a romantic idea for a wedding that was to be held in the majestic setting of Luxor temple at night, filled my heart with joy, and thinking about things it seemed so appropriate to marry in the temple that had been created to celebrate the eternal marriage of Amun with his wife Mut.
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