Probably the most important annual festival celebrated in ancient Thebes (modern Luxor). This festival celebrated the rebirth of the son of Amun (ie, the pharoah) as a fertility rite and to reaffirm the pharoah's divine right to rule.
The events consisted of the statue of Amum-Re being carried from the inner sanctuary out along the axis of Karnak (see another post), through the gate to a boat in the canal, then along the river to the Temple of Luxor (see another post). Then Amum-Re and Mut spend the time of the festival on an annual "honeymoon" as part of the fertility rite. At the end, the statue of Amum-Re is carried along the Avenue of the Sphinxes, about 3 km back to Karnak.
There isn't much to show here as the festival is no more, and the statues are not here. However, the ancient Avenue of the Sphinxes has been rediscovered and is being restored. The 2 pictures look along the route from opposite ends, the former from the Temple of Luxor; the latter from Karnak. This is the direction Amum-Re is said to have traveled along this route on his way back home each year. In the latter picture, you can make out some of the sphinxes.Read more
EgyptLuxor25°42’12” N 32°39’12” E
EgyptLuxor25°42’12” N 32°39’12” E