Egypt: Sphinx street reopened in Luxor

The historic Sphinx-Alley was opened in Egypt with a ceremony. The former procession path, built about 3400 years ago, was extensively renovated. Hundreds of historical sculptures now line the route.

A passageway between the temples of Karnak and Luxor in Egypt has been reopened with a grand ceremony. The reconstructed Sphinx-Alley, which has its origins dating back to about 3400 years, aims to showcase the archaeological treasures of the country and thus encourage tourism.

The Sphinx Avenue, also known as Aries or the Path of the Gods, connects the famous temples of Karnak and Luxor in Thebes, the former capital of ancient Egypt. It is believed that the pilgrims used to walk the route to visit the temples and worship their deities. The road is lined with statues of rams and the Sphinx and stretches for several kilometers into Luxor. According to the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism, with this project, Luxor will become the largest open-air museum in the world.

Excavations lasted more than 50 years

The route of the procession was discovered in 1949. In the decades that followed, more and more remains were found. Reconstruction began in 2005, but has since been halted due to the political situation and lack of money.

A senior Egyptian archeology official, Mohamed Abd al-Badei, said that the oldest ruins along the avenue were six structures built by Queen Hatshepsut, Egypt’s only female pharaoh, and date back to 1400 BC. According to the hieroglyphs on the walls of one of the temples, a festival called “Opet” was held there with processions and dancers to celebrate the wealth that the annual flood of the Nile brings to the fields. According to the records, a fleet of sacred boats also visited the temple.

This was the second glamorous event of its kind this year. In April, the government took out a procession to celebrate the transfer of some famous mummies from the Egyptian Museum in the city of Cairo to the newly built museum south of the Egyptian capital.