Luxor Temple is a New Kingdom temple complex on the east bank of the Nile, in the centre of modern Luxor city. Pharaohs built it as the southern sanctuary of the god Amun and as the stage for the annual Opet Festival, when statues of Amun, Mut, and Khonsu travelled here from Karnak by river procession. You can walk straight to the entrance from the Nile-side corniche, stand under the surviving Ramses II pylon, and read hieroglyphs the way Theban priests left them more than 3,000 years ago. Most travellers pair Luxor Temple with Karnak Temple on a private day tour, then return after dark for the floodlit view.
Construction began under Amenhotep III (around 1390 to 1352 BCE), who built the inner sanctuary, the colonnade of seven papyrus columns, and the great solar court named after him. His architects oriented the temple north-south to align with the Karnak processional route rather than east-west like most Egyptian temples.
A century later, Ramses II added the outer courtyard, the massive entrance pylon decorated with reliefs of his battle at Kadesh, and the two seated colossi flanking the entrance. He also raised two pink granite obelisks at the pylon; the western one still stands in Luxor at 25 metres, while the eastern obelisk was gifted to France in 1830 and now stands at the Place de la Concorde in Paris.
The Romans converted part of the temple into a military camp in the third century CE and added a chapel with frescoes still visible in the inner sanctuary. The Arab conquest in the seventh century brought Islam to Luxor, and the Abu Haggag mosque was built directly on top of the temple’s first court in the 11th century. The mosque remains active today and is the only working Islamic place of worship sitting on a pharaonic temple in Egypt.
European archaeologists began excavation in the 1880s. Sand had buried the colonnade up to the column capitals, hiding the temple inside the medieval town. Egyptian-led clearance work continued through the 20th century, and the recently restored Avenue of Sphinxes reopened in November 2021 after a 50-year restoration project and once again connects Luxor Temple to Karnak as it did under the New Kingdom.
The First Pylon of Ramses II rises 24 metres at the entrance, carved with reliefs of his Kadesh campaign and flanked by two seated colossi of the pharaoh. The remaining standing obelisk in front of the pylon is the only one of the original pair still in Luxor.
The Great Court of Ramses II sits just inside the pylon and is ringed by 74 papyrus-bud columns. The medieval Abu Haggag mosque rises from the southeast corner, with its minaret visible above the columns. Look for the row of seated Ramses II statues against the eastern wall.
The Colonnade of Amenhotep III leads south from the court with seven pairs of 16-metre open papyrus columns, originally roofed in stone. Reliefs along the walls show the Opet Festival procession, including priests carrying the sacred barques of Amun, Mut, and Khonsu and crowds celebrating along the route.
The Sun Court of Amenhotep III opens beyond the colonnade, with double rows of clustered papyrus columns on three sides. This was the largest internal courtyard in any pharaonic temple. A pit dug here in 1989 by Egyptian archaeologists yielded a cache of 26 royal statues now displayed in the Luxor Museum across town.
The Inner Sanctuary at the southern end contains the Birth Room, where reliefs depict Amenhotep III’s divine conception, the Roman chapel with its third-century frescoes, and the smaller chambers used for the daily ritual of the cult statue. The Avenue of Sphinxes, visible from the temple’s western enclosure, runs north toward Karnak Temple lined with restored ram-headed and human-headed sphinxes.
Location: Luxor city centre, east bank of the Nile, walking distance from most central Luxor hotels and the Nile-side corniche. The entrance is on Sharia el-Karnak, opposite the main souk.
Opening hours: 06:00 to 21:00 daily (winter and summer). Night opening makes Luxor Temple unique in Egypt because most ancient sites close by 17:00. The best photography window is at sunset (around 18:00 in winter, 19:30 in summer) when the warm temple lights come on and the sandstone glows orange.
Entrance fee (2026, subject to change): Approximately 400 EGP (around $8 USD) for foreign-visitor adults, 200 EGP for students with international ID. Tickets sold at the entrance booth and electronically at major Luxor hotels.
Photography: Permitted throughout without flash. Tripods need a separate permit. Night photography is excellent, so bring a small tripod or rest the camera on the temple wall.
Time needed: 90 minutes for a careful first visit. Add another 30 minutes if you return after dark to see the temple lit up.
Getting there: From any central Luxor hotel, walk along the corniche or take a horse-drawn caleche (around 50 EGP). From the airport, taxis take 15 minutes for around 250 EGP. The temple is on every private Luxor day tour with EDT.
Accessibility: The main axis is flat and largely wheelchair-accessible. Some inner chambers have shallow steps. Toilets and a small café sit beside the ticket office.
Visit twice if you can. Once during the day to read the wall reliefs and once after dark for the lighting. The 400 EGP ticket lets you re-enter the same evening at no extra charge, and the night atmosphere is the best in Egypt.
Start at the back and walk forwards. Most visitors enter through the pylon and rush past the colonnade. Walking from the inner sanctuary outward gives you the same view the pharaoh saw during the Opet Festival and reveals the colonnade reliefs in correct narrative order.
Look up at the Abu Haggag mosque. The mosque sits on top of the original first court, and you can see exactly how high the medieval town built up before excavation. It is one of the most striking layered-history views in Egypt.
Bring a light jacket in winter. Night winds along the corniche cool quickly after sunset.
Every Luxor itinerary at EDT includes Luxor Temple. The three best options:
Every Luxor tour with us includes private transport, entrance fees, bottled water, and a licensed Egyptologist guide.
We came back to Luxor Temple after dinner and the lit columns at night are unforgettable. Our Egyptologist explained every relief.
Loved that our private tour started here at sunset. Walking the colonnade as the warm lights came on was a holiday highlight.
Karnak in the morning and Luxor Temple at night made a perfect day. Attar’s team handled everything and the guide knew every story.
Yes. The two temples were connected by the Avenue of Sphinxes and worked together during the Opet Festival, but Luxor Temple has a completely different atmosphere because it is smaller, more intimate, and open until 21:00 so you can experience it after dark.
Yes. Luxor Temple stays open until 21:00 every day. The warm temple lighting at sunset and after dark is one of the best night experiences in Egypt.
Ninety minutes is enough for a careful first visit. Many travellers re-enter on the same ticket after dinner for another 30 to 45 minutes of night photography.
The main axis is flat and largely accessible. The inner sanctuary has some shallow steps. Most visitors find at least 80 percent of the temple reachable in a wheelchair.
The eastern obelisk was gifted to France in 1830 and stands today at the Place de la Concorde in Paris. The surviving western obelisk remains in front of the Luxor Temple pylon.
Yes. The Avenue of Sphinxes reopened in November 2021 and now connects Luxor Temple to Karnak. You can walk a long stretch of the avenue from the temple’s western enclosure toward Karnak.