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Luxor Temple 2

The Luxor Temple is a large Ancient Egyptian temple complex located on the east bank of the Nile in the city of Luxor, formerly Waset (Thebes). Known to the Egyptians as Ipet Resyt, the temple was built from Nubian sandstone in 1400 BC, and it was dedicated not to a cult god, but to the rejuvenation of kingship. Pharaohs were crowned at Luxor either in reality or conceptually, and Amenhotep III built chapels to the rear of the temple, while other parts of the temple were built by Tutankhamun and Ramesses II. Alexander the Great claimed to have traveled to Luxor to be crowned Pharaoh, but he may never have traveled south of Memphis. The Romans utilized the temple as a legionary fortress and the home of the Roman government in the area, and the Romans transformed a chapel to Mut into a Tetrarchy cult chapel and later into a Christian church. During the Middle Ages, the population of Luxor settled in and around the temple, leading to the accumulation of rubble and the development of an artificial hill. Professor Gaston Maspero excavated the temple starting in 1884, but excavations were sporadic until 1960. The temple was inscribed on the UNSECO World Heritage List in 1979 and is a major tourist attraction, especially for visitors taking part in Nile cruises.

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