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Luxor Temple
Luxor Temple is a giant stone temple in Egypt. It is more than 3,000 years old! Huge stone statues and a tall stone pillar stand at its gate.
Luxor Temple is an ancient Egyptian temple in the city of Luxor, which was called Thebes long ago. Many rulers added to it over hundreds of years. Its huge gateway has two towers, giant statues and a tall pointed stone called an obelisk.
Luxor Temple, Ipet-resyt to the ancient Egyptians, stands about three kilometers south of Karnak Temple in modern Luxor, ancient Thebes. Its oldest surviving part dates to the reign of Hatshepsut, its core was built under Amenhotep III, and Ramesses II added a courtyard, a massive pylon, colossal statues and two 25 m obelisks. It is part of UNESCO's Ancient Thebes with its Necropolis World Heritage Site.
Photo: Ad Meskens, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Discover Luxor Temple
Luxor Temple is in Egypt, a country in Africa. People built it long, long ago.
It is made of stone. It has huge statues and a tall stone pillar.
Luxor Temple stands in the city of Luxor in Egypt, on the east bank of the Nile River. Long ago the city was called Thebes, and for a long time it was the capital of Egypt.
The temple was not built by just one ruler. Several rulers of ancient Egypt added new parts over hundreds of years, from courtyards and halls to a giant gateway with statues in front.
Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities says the ancient Egyptians called the temple Ipet-resyt, and that it lies about three kilometers south of Karnak Temple, to which a processional way bordered with sphinxes once linked it. Unlike most ancient Egyptian temples, it is not laid out on an east-west axis but faces toward Karnak.
UNESCO groups the temples of Luxor and Karnak on the Nile's east bank with the large archaeological area on the west bank as Ancient Thebes with its Necropolis, a World Heritage Site since 1979. It calls the temple of Amenophis III at Luxor one of the most refined masterpieces of Egyptian architecture.
- Where
- Luxor (ancient Thebes), about 3 km south of Karnak Temple
- Core built
- under Amenhotep III (about 1390–1352 BC)
- Obelisks
- two, 25 m high; one remains, one in Paris since 1836
- World Heritage
- part of Ancient Thebes, inscribed 1979
Built by many rulers
Many rulers of Egypt worked on this temple, one after another.
They added new parts, like a hall, a yard or a gate.
The oldest part still standing is a shrine from the reign of Hatshepsut, more than 3,400 years ago. Later, Amenhotep III built the main part of the temple and two rows of giant columns.
Later still, Ramesses II added a courtyard, a huge gateway, many giant statues and two tall obelisks.
The ministry dates the oldest evidence for the temple to the Eighteenth Dynasty (about 1550–1295 BC). The oldest existing structure, a shrine, dates to the reign of Hatshepsut (about 1473–1458 BC), and the core of the temple was built by Amenhotep III (about 1390–1352 BC), who also built the Great Colonnade; its decoration was completed under Tutankhamun and Horemheb.
Ramesses II (about 1279–1213 BC) built a peristyle courtyard in front of the Great Colonnade and a massive pylon. In the late 3rd century AD, the Romans built a fort around the temple.
Columns, courtyards and a giant gate
Inside, two rows of seven giant columns stand side by side.
At the front is a huge gate made of two stone towers.
Amenhotep III built the Great Colonnade, two rows of seven giant columns, 14 in all. He also built a courtyard with columns all around its edges.
At the very front stands the pylon, a gate made of two great towers. Ramesses II built it, and many giant statues stood in front of it, along with two obelisks.
The ministry describes Amenhotep III's core as preceded by a columned hall, fronted by a courtyard with columns around its perimeter; he also built the Great Colonnade, two rows of seven colossal columns.
Ramesses II put a peristyle courtyard in front of the Colonnade, and then a massive pylon, a gate with two towers that formed the entrance into temples. The pylon was fronted by many colossal statues and by a pair of obelisks 25 m high.
One obelisk here, one in Paris
Long ago, two tall pointed stones stood at the gate. One is still here.
The other one went all the way to Paris, in France!
Ramesses II set up a pair of obelisks in front of the gate, each 25 meters high. Only one is still in place at Luxor. The other has stood in the Place de la Concorde, a square in Paris, since 1836.
The obelisk still at Luxor is covered with carved signs from top to bottom, as you can see in the photo.
Of Ramesses II's pair of 25 m obelisks, only one remains in place; the other has stood at the Place de la Concorde in Paris since 1836, according to the ministry.
Centuries later, in the late 3rd century AD, the Romans built a fort around the temple and the first room beyond Amenhotep III's hypostyle hall became part of the fort. Its walls were covered with plaster and painted in the Graeco-Roman style, showing Emperor Diocletian and his three co-rulers; work is under way to restore these paintings.
- Great Colonnade
- 2 rows of 7 colossal columns
- Oldest structure
- a shrine from Hatshepsut's reign (about 1473–1458 BC)
- Roman fort
- built around the temple, late 3rd century AD
At the temple gate
In this photo, the sun shines on the stone gate. Can you find the tall pointed obelisk?
This photo was taken in August 2011, facing the front of the temple. You can see the two towers of the pylon, the obelisk, giant seated statues beside the gateway, a standing statue and columns through the gate.
The sky is clear and blue, and a wide paved path leads up to the entrance.
The photograph (10 August 2011, by Ad Meskens) shows the pylon's two towers, the surviving obelisk on the left of the gateway, two seated colossal statues flanking the entrance, a standing statue against the right tower, and columns visible through the gate.
UNESCO notes that the property is owned by the state, the region and private owners and is managed by the Supreme Council of Antiquities through the antiquities inspectorate of Luxor, with the governorate and other authorities.
Amazing facts
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One of the temple's tall stone pillars now stands in Paris!
One of Luxor Temple's two obelisks has stood in the Place de la Concorde in Paris since 1836.
Ramesses II's second obelisk has stood at the Place de la Concorde in Paris since 1836; its twin remains at Luxor.
-
Long ago, a path lined with stone sphinxes joined this temple to another one!
A processional way bordered with sphinxes once linked Luxor Temple to Karnak Temple, about three kilometers away.
A processional way bordered with sphinxes once linked Luxor Temple with Karnak, some three kilometers to the north.
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The Romans once built a fort all around this old temple!
In the late 3rd century AD, the Romans built a fort around the temple, more than 1,500 years after the oldest part still standing was built.
In the late 3rd century AD the Romans built a fort around the temple and decorated one inner room with Graeco-Roman paintings of Emperor Diocletian and his co-rulers.
Words to know
- temple
- a large building made long ago for religious ceremonies
- obelisk
- a tall, thin, four-sided stone pillar with a pointed top
- pylon
- a huge gateway made of two tall stone towers, at the front of an Egyptian temple
- colonnade
- a long row of columns
- sphinx
- a stone statue with a lion's body and a human head
- colossal
- extremely large
Discovery challenge
-
Which country is Luxor Temple in?
In which country does Luxor Temple stand?
In which country is the city of Luxor, ancient Thebes?
- Egypt
- Italy
- Mexico
Show the answer
Egypt
Egypt, in Africa!
Egypt, on the Nile.
Egypt.
-
What is the tall pointed stone at the gate called?
What is the tall, pointed stone pillar in front of the gate called?
What did Ramesses II set up in a pair, each 25 m high, in front of the pylon?
- An obelisk
- A pyramid
- A tower
Show the answer
An obelisk
An obelisk!
An obelisk, 25 meters high.
Obelisks; one remains in place.
-
Where is the other obelisk now?
In which city has the second obelisk stood since 1836?
Where has the second obelisk stood since 1836?
- Paris
- London
- Cairo
Show the answer
Paris
Paris, in France!
Paris, in the Place de la Concorde.
The Place de la Concorde in Paris.
-
Was the temple built by one ruler or many?
How many rulers built Luxor Temple?
Which statement about the builders of Luxor Temple is true?
- Many rulers, one after another
- Just one ruler
- No one knows
Show the answer
Many rulers, one after another
Many rulers, one after another!
It was not built by one single ruler: many rulers added to it.
From Hatshepsut's shrine to Ramesses II's pylon, several rulers added to it.
-
What did the Romans build around the temple?
What did the Romans build around Luxor Temple in the late 3rd century AD?
What Roman structure was built around the temple in the late 3rd century AD?
- A fort
- A stadium
- A bridge
Show the answer
A fort
A fort!
A fort.
A fort, with one inner room repainted in the Graeco-Roman style.
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For parents & teachers
What children will learn
- Explain how Luxor Temple grew as different rulers added new parts over hundreds of years.
- Name the parts of an Egyptian temple: pylon, obelisk, courtyard and colonnade.
- Find Luxor, Karnak and Paris on a map and trace the obelisk's journey.
Recommended ages: 4 to 17 · About 15 minutes
Talk about it
- Many rulers added to this temple. Why might a ruler want to add something new to an old building?
- The obelisk is 25 meters tall. What buildings or trees near you might be about that tall?
- How do archaeologists know which ruler built which part of a temple?
Try at home or in class
- Build a temple gateway from two shoe boxes as towers, with a tall paper obelisk in front.
- Make a timeline strip and mark Hatshepsut, Amenhotep III, Ramesses II and the Roman fort in order.
Key vocabulary: temple, obelisk, pylon, colonnade, sphinx, colossal
Where these facts come from
- Wikidata , Wikimedia Foundation (CC0 1.0)
- Luxor Temple , Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (Egypt), Discover Egypt's Monuments
- Ancient Thebes with its Necropolis (World Heritage List) , UNESCO World Heritage Centre
- File:Pylons and obelisk Luxor temple.JPG , Wikimedia Commons
- UNESCO World Heritage List , UNESCO World Heritage Centre (Linked as a reference; site facts come from Wikidata)
- Wikimedia Commons , Wikimedia Foundation (Per file (public domain, CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA); see each media record)
Checked, not yet human-reviewed. Last updated November 1, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.