Overview:

Sphinx Avenue is a grand avenue in Luxor, Egypt. It’s also known as Luxor Avenue and Cairo Avenue, and it leads from Luxor Temple to the entrance of Karnak Temple. The avenue is lined with sphinxes that are all carved from limestone. There are eight sphinxes on either side of the avenue, and they were originally set in front of the temple of Amenhotep III. Beside the sphinxes, there are poles along the avenue that are engraved with offerings from Amenhotep III. This avenue is a popular tourist destination in Luxor and is often part of guided tours. It is one of the most beautiful monuments in Egypt
Prominent Features:

The Great Sphinx of Giza is one of the most famous features of Luxor, Egypt. It is a large limestone statue of a lion body with a human head, believed to have been carved during the reign of the Pharaoh Khafre. The Great Sphinx is located on the west bank of the Nile, near the ancient city of Memphis and directly opposite from the City of the Dead. The Sphinx is the guardian of the Giza Necropolis and the largest single-stone statue in the world. It is believed to have been carved out of a single piece of limestone around 4,500 years ago. The Sphinx Avenue in Luxor is a long colonnade of statues and a grand entranceway to the Valley of Kings. It stretches from the Luxor Temple to the Colossi of Memnon. Along the avenue are statues of rams, pharaohs, and sphinxes that were once part of grand royal processions. These statues guard the entrance to the burial grounds of the pharaohs, making it one of Luxor's most iconic sights. You can learn history, culture, and heritage through these magnificent monuments in Egypt.

History:

Sphinx Avenue, located in Luxor, is believed to have been constructed more than 3500 years ago during the Middle Kingdom period. The avenue was constructed in front of the monumental entrance to the Temple of Luxor and ran for over 800 meters to the entrance of the Temple of Karnak. The avenue is lined with an impressive display of hundreds of sphinxes that were carved from sandstone during the time of 18th Dynasty Pharaoh Amenhotep III during the mid-1400s BC. It is believed that the sphinxes were placed along the avenue in order to serve as guardians, protecting the temple grounds from visitors who approached from the Nile River. Sphinx Avenue is one of the iconic sites in Luxor, and still stands today as a reminder of the artistic power of ancient Egypt. In recent years, modern Egyptian authorities have worked to fully restore parts of the avenue in order to preserve its original aesthetics. Visit one of the famous monuments of Egypt with your friends and family.

Interesting facts:

1. Sphinx Avenue is located directly in front of the Luxor Temple and it is lined with 58 magnificently decorated sphinxes, some of which are very well-preserved. 2. The sphinxes are granite statues from the New Kingdom times, between 1550-1070 BC which depict a human head (representing Pharaoh Akhenaten) and a lion’s body. 3. They were originally carved from single blocks of granite, standing nearly two meters high and one metre wide. 4. Although many of the sphinxes have been vandalised and damaged throughout the years, some still have their eyes intact and clearly visible. 5. Currently, Sphinx Avenue serves as an important part of Luxor’s tourism industry, providing visitors with a unique and unforgettable experience. 6. On the morning of Queen Hatshepsut’s festival, from the 18th dynasty, the sphinxes were presented with gifts of gold necklaces, jewelry and feathers, as seen in the Fayum Mummy portraits. One of the historical monuments of Egypt, it tells the story of a bygone era