Photo Gallery · Luxor Temple, Luxor

Luxor Temple in Old Photos

Thirteen photographs of Luxor Temple, made between 1851 and 1882, when a village filled its courts.

In the 1860s Luxor Temple stood in the middle of a riverside village. Houses and even government corn stores filled its courts, and the temple was cleared only gradually; today it is open and cleared, so the pictures show how much has changed. For the river front, the flood and the people of Luxor, see Luxor town and the Nile in old photos. To plan a visit, see our Luxor Temple guide.

The gateway, pylon and obelisk

Five views of the entrance to Luxor Temple, from Teynard, Frith, Bedford and Beato.

Luxor: grand gateway of the temple, 1862

The two towers of Luxor Temple’s first pylon rising out of rubble, with buildings at their base, 1862 — Francis Bedford, 18 March 1862 · albumen print; mounted on card · 24.2 × 29.1 cm (image); 46.9 × 58.4 cm (mount) · signed, captioned and dated in the negative “F Bedford Luxor”; Day & Son series no. 45 · Royal Collection Trust RCIN 2700899, acquired by the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) in 1862 · Royal Collection title: “Grand Gateway of the Temple of Luxor, Egypt [First Pylon, Luxor Temple]” · Old title: “Grand Gateway of the Temple of Luxor 1862”

The monumental first pylon, or grand gateway, of Luxor Temple, built under Ramesses II and photographed by Bedford on 18 March 1862. See the two towers rising out of the rubble and the buildings at their base; the temple stood within a living town. Royal Collection Trust notes that excavations were still going on at Luxor Temple at the time of the Prince’s visit, and that the mosque built on the site with the village still stands, its minaret visible in the photograph.

Luxor: the pylon and obelisk, c. 1857

The pylon of Luxor Temple with its obelisk — Francis Frith, c. 1857 · albumen print · 16.3 × 20.7 cm · Royal Collection Trust, acquired by King Edward VII when Prince of Wales · Old title: “Luxor – The Pylon and Obelisk”

The pylon and obelisk of Luxor Temple in Frith’s view of around 1857. Observe the single obelisk against the great gateway behind it.

Luxor: colossal pylon and obelisk, 1851–52

The colossal pylon and obelisk, Luxor — Félix Teynard, 1851–1852 · salted paper print from paper negative · Old title: “Luxor (Thebes); Foremost Structures – Colossal Pylon and Obelisk”

The colossal pylon and obelisk at Luxor, photographed by Teynard in 1851–52. Compare it with Frith’s picture to see how the two photographers frame the same gateway.

Luxor: obelisk and pylon of Ramesses, c. 1860

The pylon of Luxor Temple with the obelisk of Ramesses II — Antonio Beato, c. 1860 (not confirmed) · Old title: “Ramses Obelisk and Pylon”

The obelisk and pylon of Ramesses II at Luxor, dated to around 1860. The catalogue suggests Antonio Beato, but this is not confirmed. Note the obelisk’s height against the gateway. Pylons and obelisks marked the entrances of New Kingdom temples.

Luxor: propylon and obelisk, 1862

The propylon of Luxor Temple with its obelisk, photographed by Bedford on 18 March 1862. Only one obelisk stands here: its twin has been in the Place de la Concorde, Paris, since 1836.

Courts, colonnades and the temple from outside

Eight views of the courts, the colonnades and the temple seen from the town.

Luxor: large colonnade, 1851–52

The large colonnade at the centre of Luxor Temple — Félix Teynard, 1851–1852 (photographed); printed 1853–1854 · salted paper print from paper negative · The Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession 1976.607.31 (object 261829) · Old title: “Luxor (Thebes); Central Construction – Large Colonnade”

The large colonnade at Luxor Temple, photographed by Teynard in 1851–52 and printed in 1853–54. See the size of the columns and the debris around their bases. The colonnade stands inside the temple, beyond the entrance court.

Luxor: galleries of the later construction, 1851–52

The galleries of the later construction at Luxor Temple — Félix Teynard, 1851–1852 · salted paper print from paper negative · Old title: “Luxor (Thebes); Later Construction – Galleries – Parallels”

Parallel galleries in a later construction at Luxor Temple, photographed in 1851–52. Observe the parallel lines of the galleries.

Luxor: columns of the portico, c. 1857

Columns of the portico at Luxor Temple — Francis Frith, c. 1857 · albumen print · 15.9 × 20.9 cm · Royal Collection Trust, acquired by King Edward VII when Prince of Wales · Old title: “Luxor – Columns of Portico”

Columns of a portico at Luxor Temple in Frith’s series, around 1857. Note the carved shafts and the space between them.

Luxor: court of the temple, the government corn stores, 1857

A court of Luxor Temple used as a government corn store — Francis Frith, 1857 · albumen print · Old title: “Luxor – Court of the Temple – The Government Corn Stores”

The court of Luxor Temple, which the caption says was then used as a government corn store, photographed in 1857. See how buildings fill the court. The court has since been cleared, and the temple is open to visitors.

Luxor: general view of the ruins, 1851–52

A general view of the ruins of Luxor Temple, by Teynard, 1851–52. Notice how the temple sits among the village; monuments and town shared the same ground. The houses that stood here have long since been cleared from the site.

Luxor: view of the temple, 1860s

Luxor Temple partly buried and built over by the town, 1860s — Antonio Beato, 1860–1869 (questionable; as catalogued by NYPL) · albumen print · 26 × 37.5 cm · New York Public Library, Collection of photographs of Egypt and Nubia (UUID 510d47d9-6037-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99, Image ID 81482) · Old title: “Louxor: vue du temple (Luxor: view of the temple)”

Luxor Temple in the 1860s, partly buried and built over by the town; the catalogue credits Antonio Beato, and the New York Public Library marks the date as questionable. Note where the town ends and the temple begins. The temple is cleared today.

Luxor: the temple

Luxor Temple from another viewpoint, dated 1864 in an unverified source caption — Photographer not identified, 1864 (per source caption; unverified) · New York Public Library Digital Collections, ID 510d47d9-605a-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99 · Old title: “Luxor Temple”

Another view of Luxor Temple. The catalogue gives 1864 from the source caption, which is unverified, and the photographer is not identified. Compare it with the previous picture to see what changes with the viewpoint.

Luxor: giant busts of Ramesses II, 1879–82

A pair of giant busts of Ramesses II, Luxor — Photographer not identified (RCT album compiled by Rev. J. N. Dalton), 1879–82 · albumen print · 22.0 × 27.5 cm · Royal Collection Trust RCIN 2581442 · Old title: “Giant Busts of Rameses II”

A view between a pair of giant busts of Ramesses II at Luxor Temple, one of several places around Luxor where colossal statues of the king survive. The camera looks along the colonnaded avenue of Amenhotep III, and a man leans on the right bust. The picture comes from a Royal Collection Trust album of the HMS Bacchante voyage, dated 1879–82; no photographer is named.

About these Luxor Temple photographs

Who and when. Four of these pictures are Félix Teynard’s plates of 1851–52, published as Égypte et Nubie in about 1858. Three are from Francis Frith’s 1857 series, two of them catalogued by Royal Collection Trust, and two are Francis Bedford’s views of 18 March 1862. Two are catalogued to Antonio Beato, both with caveats, and two have no named photographer, one of them from an album of the 1879–82 voyage of HMS Bacchante.

Reading the photographs. Look first at the pylon and the single obelisk in front of it, then at how the town presses against the walls. Compare Teynard’s views of 1851–52 with Frith’s of 1857 to see how two photographers framed the same gateway. Luxor Temple is joined to Karnak by the Avenue of Sphinxes; for old views of the sphinxes and gateways at Karnak, see Karnak in old photos.

Credits and sources for the Luxor Temple photographs

Medium, size and old title for each picture appear under the photograph itself. Links go to the holding institution’s record where one is available.

Luxor: grand gateway of the temple, 1862 — Francis Bedford, 18 March 1862. Royal Collection Trust RCIN 2700899.
Luxor: the pylon and obelisk, c. 1857 — Francis Frith, c. 1857. Royal Collection Trust, acquired by King Edward VII when Prince of Wales.
Luxor: colossal pylon and obelisk, 1851–52 — Félix Teynard, 1851–1852.
Luxor: obelisk and pylon of Ramesses, c. 1860 — Antonio Beato, c. 1860 (not confirmed).
Luxor: propylon and obelisk, 1862 — Francis Bedford, 18 March 1862. Royal Collection Trust RCIN 2700900.
Luxor: large colonnade, 1851–52 — Félix Teynard, 1851–1852. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession 1976.607.31 (object 261829).
Luxor: galleries of the later construction, 1851–52 — Félix Teynard, 1851–1852.
Luxor: columns of the portico, c. 1857 — Francis Frith, c. 1857. Royal Collection Trust, acquired by King Edward VII when Prince of Wales.
Luxor: court of the temple, the government corn stores, 1857 — Francis Frith, 1857.
Luxor: general view of the ruins, 1851–52 — Félix Teynard, 1851–1852.
Luxor: view of the temple, 1860s — Antonio Beato, 1860–1869 (questionable; as catalogued by NYPL). New York Public Library, Collection of photographs of Egypt and Nubia (UUID 510d47d9-6037-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99, Image ID 81482).
Luxor: the temple — Photographer not identified, 1864 (per source caption; unverified). New York Public Library Digital Collections, ID 510d47d9-605a-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99.
Luxor: giant busts of Ramesses II, 1879–82 — Photographer not identified (RCT album compiled by Rev. J. N. Dalton), 1879–82. Royal Collection Trust RCIN 2581442.