Luxor Museum
All You Need to Know
Luxor Museum was inaugurated in 1975 and boasts an impressive collection of high-quality artworks dating back from the Predynastic Period to the Islamic era. The modern building offers ample space for visitors to move around comfortably and admire the beautifully displayed objects and sculptures. It’s an ideal destination to spend a morning in Luxor.
The museum is structured on two levels, accessible via a ramp from the ground floor to the upper floor, and showcases artifacts from the Theban area. The museum boasts several standing granite statues of kings, queens, and high-status officials who have left their images in the Theban temples. Tutankhamun, the famous Egyptian pharaoh, is well-represented by several objects from his tomb in the Valley of the Kings, which are currently not on display in the Cairo Museum. One of the first objects visitors will see when entering the museum is the majestic head of a cow goddess made of resin and gilded wood. The exhibits on display include funerary stelae, offering tables, papyri, tomb furniture, a cartonnage mummy case, and many small statuettes and shabtis. The smaller objects such as jewelry, funerary and ritual items, and artifacts from daily life are displayed in glass in the center of the upper floor.
The museum was created by the Egyptian Ministry of Culture, which Dr. Mahmud El Hakim, a famous Egyptian architect, designed the plans in 1962. The installation of the museum's artworks was completed, between 1972 and 1975.
Inside Luxor Museum
One of the most fascinating exhibits on display is the Wall of Akhenaten. It’s a series of small sandstone blocks named talatat (threes) by workmen, probably because their height and length are about three hand lengths. The Wall of Akhenaten came from Amenhotep IV’s contribution at Karnak before he changed his name to Akhenaten and left Thebes for Tell Al Amarna. In the late 1960s, 40,000 stones meant to fill in Karnak’s ninth pylon were discovered and largely reconstructed here, after his edifice was dismantled. The images on the wall depicting Akhenaten, his wife Nefertiti, and temple life are a unique example of Aten temple decoration. You’ll also be able to see Tutankhamun’s burial treasures, such as shabti (servant) figurines, model boats, sandals, arrows, and a sequence of gilded bronze rosettes from his funeral pall.
Luxor Tours & Activities
Looking to save some costs on your travel? Why not join a shared group tour to explore Luxor, Egypt? Here are some activities you might be interested in:
Luxor Museum Location
An extension built a few years ago to lay a collection of statues found in the ‘Luxor Cachette’. These beautiful sculptures unearthed during the dismantling of a colonnade in Luxor Temple for reconstruction in 1989. For reasons unknown, they had been buried on the floor of the courtyard where they were forgotten for over 2000 years. Many of these statues look as though they were just created in a sculptor’s workshop.
In addition, a new annex has been completed, which now houses many artifacts new to the museum, as well as some of the artworks from the original galleries. The main section of the extension has a military theme and is partly devoted to Egypt’s glorious empire. The long hall has two glass-covered niches which are the new resting places for the mummies of two great warrior kings – Ahmose, founder of the New Kingdom, and the recent Ramesses I.
The main gallery also includes weaponry and a hunting chariot of Tutankhamun. The upper level contains some superb statues, several old favorites relocated from other areas of the museum, as well as many fascinating objects related to technology and the arts. The new facilities include a visitor center, bookshop, and cafeteria.
As you move towards the first floor of the old building, you’ll be greeted by a seated granite statue of Amenhotep IV, son of Hapu. He was a legendary scribe and a great official who was eventually deified in Ptolemaic times. Amenhotep was responsible for overseeing all the pharaoh’s works under Amenhotep III (1390-1352 BC) and was responsible for many of Thebes’ greatest buildings.
As you make your way down the ramp, you will arrive at ground level where a black-and-gold wooden head of the cow goddess Mehit-Weret awaits you. This head is an aspect of the goddess Hathor and was discovered in Tutankhamun’s tomb. On the left, you will find a small chamber just before the exit. Inside, you will see 16 impressive sculptures, discovered in Luxor Temple in 1989. Among them, a 2.45m-tall quartzite statue of a strong Amenhotep III wearing a pleated kilt stands out and takes center stage at the end of the hall. All of these sculptures are exceptional examples of ancient Egyptian sculpture.
F.A.Q
9:00 AM-2:00 PM, 5:00-8:00 PM Every Day
150 EGP for students and 300 EGP for adult
Luxor Museum boasts an exceptional collection of Egyptian antiquities that will captivate both art and history enthusiasts. Many recent visitors have commended the museum for its easily navigable layout and informative displays available in both English and Arabic.
On the East Bank of the Nile River(Kornish Al Nile), the Luxor Museum is roughly midway between the Karnak Temple Complex and the Temple of Luxor.
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