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The Temple Complex of Amenophis III,

(Colossi of Memnon), West Bank, Luxor, Egypt
in Association with Q.E.A

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Built by Amenophis III from the new kingdom (1550 - 1069 B.C.) The Colossi are all that remain of this once great temple said to of rivalled that of Karnak but eroded by the annual flooding of the Nile. The Colossi can be seen on the main approach to all the sites. Well worth a visit at sun rise or sunset for that perfect photo moment.

Temple of Amenophis III, (Colossi of Menmon), West Bank, Luxor, Egypt.

By

Dr John R Ward KT & PH Ma Maria Nilsson

The Sirius Project

&

The Historical Preservation Society

The temple of Amenophis III, regarded by most as possibly one of the largest temple complexes ever built, together with its famous megalithic statues of the pharaoh himself, it has also gained the notoriety due to its abundance of large megalithic stone edifices. However saying this, there is little left of the actual structure itself. Having been built from mostly mud brick a favorable building material of Amenophis III, and located on the main flood plain the centuries have taken their toll on the inadequate building material given its location. There are theories as to the reason for building on the flood plain, for instance with the receding waters from the complex the central elevated mound central to the temple itself would of resembled the primordial mound of creation itself, this may well be the case, but given that Medinat Habu was only a stone's throw to the south and already had the Ogdoad established as their place of rest, I do not think this a likely scenario. I would hesitate to surmise that the perimeter wall of the temple itself would have been of considerable size and width as to prevent any flood waters from penetrating the temple complex itself, thus cutting it off from the outside world in times of the inundation. The temple with what has remained can be established as having a sun court flanked by columns and a processional way leading from the megalithic statues. Together with the alignment with Luxor temple it may be reasonable to assume that the 10day festival during the new kingdom period may well have been one of the primary reasons for the erection of the temple, allowing the god Amun of Luxor to rest before moving onto Medinat Habu. This would then allow the god Amun of Luxor to bless the temple complex with his presence and thus empower Amenophis III, knowing that his mortuary temple was also the resting place of the god Amun of Luxor before departing for the temple complex of Medinat Habu.

Only now is the earth that was once the tens of thousands if not millions of mud bricks that once made this great temple releasing their sunken stone counterparts, centuries of inundation has allowed the stone fragments and smaller objects to sink even further into the earth that once lay beneath their feet. But as with most of the sites in Luxor, once again the rising water table is proving to be a slight problem as the water table rises and recedes, it hampers any excavation carried out on the site, yet still the mission has uncovered some amazing artifacts and has carried out some remarkable restoration to the once glorious statues that once adorned this temple complex.

It has always baffled me though, given the abundance of stone in the area and the generally accepted wealth that Amenophis III have accumulated, why was the temple constructed from mud brick, we have many theories as to why and these will be published soon we hope. But to compare with the other temple structures of the West bank of Luxor, the temple of Amenophis III has to be one of the greatest, only because it conjures so many images in one's mind as to what it really must of looked like, the perimeter walls must have been visible from as far as Medamaud on the East bank given the flat flood plains and the absence of the modern high rise edifices that graze upon the old flood plains of Thebes today.

 

Dr John Ward KT & PH Ma Maria Nilsson

The Sirius Project

In Association with

Historical Preservation Society