AUC Press brings you an exclusive conversation with Aidan Dodson, one of the leading Egyptologists of our time, as he discusses this newly revised and updated guide, Luxor Illustrated: With Aswan, Abu Simbel, and the Nile by Michael Haag. This full-color guide offers a comprehensive exploration of Upper Egypt’s most magnificent sites, from the grandeur of Luxor’s temples to the awe-inspiring temples of Abu Simbel.
Why is Luxor often referred to as the greatest outdoor museum in the world?
The area containing ancient monuments at Luxor covers some fifty square kilometers, embracing everything from vast temples down to the tiniest tombs and most modest dwellings, and over two millennia of history. Many of the monuments are exquisitely decorated, displaying not only the skills and tastes of the ancient artisans and patrons but also revealing much about the history, culture, and religion of their eras. Indeed, without the monuments of Luxor, our knowledge of ancient Egypt would be greatly diminished, with the histories of whole periods all but unknown, and much less understood about what made the ancient culture ‘tick.’
The major temples all contain texts and images in which their builders presented their achievements to posterity, alongside those relating to the cults which they served, while private tomb chapels often preserve vivid depictions of the worlds of both the living and the dead, as well as, on occasion, information about the careers of the deceased. Taken together with the often-spectacular architecture of the monuments themselves (and their natural environment), there is nowhere else in the world where the sheer breadth and depth of material from the ancient world can be seen in its natural habitat.
What are some highlights of Upper Egypt beyond Luxor that readers should definitely explore?
The most impressive Upper Egyptian monuments outside Luxor are the great temples that line the river from Abydos in the north to Philae in the south. Many of these date to the Greco-Roman Period, and those of Dendera, Edfu, and Philae provide the visitor with the spectacle of all but intact examples of major sanctuaries. However, far finer is the temple of Sethy I at Abydos, with exquisite relief decoration. The site also hosts the Shunet el-Zebib, the funerary enclosure of Khasekhenwy of the Second Dynasty, and one of the oldest standing constructions in the whole of Egypt. South of Luxor, the little-visited temple at Tod makes an interesting excursion, and the site of El-Kab an excellent day out. This has some fine rock-cut tomb chapels, including one with an important autobiographical inscription that is a major source for the history of the expulsion of foreign occupiers that marked the beginning of the Eighteenth Dynasty in the middle of the sixteenth century BC. El-Kab also hosts some small temples, and the ‘Vulture Rock,’ covered with ancient graffiti.
At Aswan, as well as at the temples of Philae, one should also cross over to the tomb-chapels of ancient governors on the west bank, and also to the ruins of the island city of Elephantine and its small museum. Aswan is also the gateway to Nubia, the area straddling the Egypt-Sudan border, and the must-see Nubian Museum, if you have time, you should visit the reconstructed temples at New Kalabsha, salvaged when the Aswan High Dam flooded much of Nubia during the 1960s. The most famous of these rescued temples are at Abu Simbel, far to the south, but visitable as a day trip from Aswan—or by one of the much-recommended Lake Nasser cruises, which also give access to other saved temples in between.
What are some lesser-known facts about the temples of Luxor and Karnak that readers might find intriguing?
The temple complex at Karnak is often cited as the largest religious precinct in the world, but it reached this status only after some two thousand years of evolution. Recent research has revealed that the first part of the temple was built on what was then an island in the Nile, which was, however, soon absorbed into the east bank by silting up. The same process then gradually moved the riverbank westwards. As the amount of dry land in front of the temple increased, the complex itself expanded in this direction. Thus, new pylon gateways and courts came to be constructed on land that a few centuries earlier had been under the river. This retreat of the river bank has continued until the present day, the waterfront now lying some 500 meters from where it had been in 1000 BC. In contrast to the long evolution of the Karnak complex, the temple of Luxor was built by just two pharaohs, Amenhotep III and Rameses II, over no more than a century, although some decoration was added by other kings, most importantly Tutankhamun.
One fascinating aspect of the Luxor temple is that it has been an unbroken focus for religious devotion for over three thousand years. First, the cult of Amun was superseded by that of the Roman emperor; then a church was built on the site; and then the mosque of Abu’l-Haggag was erected in the place it has occupied down to the present day, occupying a corner of Rameses II’s court, and looking down at Amenhotep III’s great colonnade.
For someone visiting Upper Egypt for the first time, what advice would you give to make the most out of their trip?
I think the key thing is to work out what you want to do and see in advance. There are a vast number of sites and monuments available, and unless one has an equally vast amount of time to spare, it is never possible to see everything. For a first visit, a Luxor–Aswan cruise is a good way to gain an appreciation of what the region looks and feels like, and makes access to the big temples at Edfu and Kom Ombo straightforward—if somewhat crowded, as pretty well all boats seem to arrive simultaneously. While cruises also usually give time in Aswan and Luxor, a couple of extra days in Aswan and a week at Luxor (with perhaps a day trip to Abydos) is really needed to do these areas justice. At Luxor, the trick is to devote each day to a specific monument/site/area and to work out in advance what you would like to see there (and be realistic: even a small tomb can take far longer than one might think . . . ). For example, in the Valley of the Kings it is worth trying to see at least one tomb of each of the Eighteenth, Nineteenth, and Twentieth Dynasties, as each period does things differently, and getting a spread makes understanding easier. The same goes for the private tomb chapels, where a mixture of locations/dates is sensible. Also, at the various temples, avoid the hordes and explore some of the more out-of-the parts of the complexes. Karnak has many such places, with the temple of Khonsu and the Open-Air Museum to be high on anyone’s itineraries. The bottom line is planning: and a good guidebook!
Click here to watch the recording of Aidan Dodson’s insightful book talk, where he discusses Luxor Illustrated: With Aswan, Abu Simbel, and the Nile by Michael Haag.
