WITH this article, we’re starting a series of articles on the unusual functions of the different temples of Upper Egypt. The start is with the two famous temples of the city of Luxor, which are Luxor and Karnak temples. Besides their historical importance, they were the ground of a very important festival during the new kingdom, the Opet festival. The two tem¬ples are directly connected by an avenue of sphinxes, which is about three kilome¬tres long and is under the process of clear¬ing now.
Luxor Temple’s main function was to serve the Opet Festival, in which the cult statues of the gods Amun, Mut and Khnosu were carried in a great proces¬sion, from Karnak Temple to Luxor Temple.
The festival had been celebrated annu¬ally since the reign of Queen Hatshepsut (18th dynasty). It was held in Thebes dur¬ing the second month of the season of the inundation and lasted for about 22 days.
It was linked to the flood of the Nile and its symbolic fertility. It is one of the most important festivals in Ancient Egypt. One of the purposes of the festival was to renew the authority of the king and his tie to the royal ancestors and his bonds to the gods.
Much of our information about the Opet Festival comes from the reliefs engraved on the walls of the great colon¬nade of king Amenhotep III at Luxor Temple. Here, you can see the beautifully executed scenes of the Opet procession. The western wall shows the southward procession and the ceremonies from Karnak to Luxor and the eastern wall shows the return journey.
Date: 20-12-2009
The scenes of the journey from Karnak to Luxor are divided into live episodes. The first episode depicts the king and the gods in Karnak Temple before their departure to Luxor Temple. The second episode depicts the barks of the King, Queen and the Theban Triad Amun, Mut and Khonsu being carried from Karnak Temple to the river. The third episode depicts the river proces¬sion of the Opet Festival sailing to Luxor with the celebrants. The fourth episode depicts the barks arriving at Luxor Temple. The fifth episode depicts the King and the barks in Luxor Temple.
Although this ritual was taking place 3,000 years ago, it is reflected in the ritual, which still exists till now in the Feast of the Muslim sheikh Abu EI-Haggag. Abu el¬Hagag was a venerated Muslim sheikh who settled in Luxor around 1245 AD and whose mosque and tomb lie within the temple proper. The modern fes¬tival is celebrated each year in the Muslim month of Shaban and it has kept, in modified form, many of the ancient festival traditions. Luxor is then trans¬formed during the festival into a three¬-day long carnival.
When the avenue of the sphinxes will be fully cleared and reopened. I imagine that the festivals will be revived in the most magical and extraordinary way that has to be witnessed at least once in a per¬son’s lifetime. Next week we will visit another temple.
