Avenue of Sphinxes in Luxor: route, tickets and history

• Other names: King’s Festivities Road or Rams Road¹
• Built: work began in the New Kingdom and was finished under Nectanebo I of the 30th Dynasty (380–362 BC¹)
• Statues: by the time it reopened, 1,057 statues lined it, 807¹ of them shaped as sphinxes

The road had a ceremonial job. Luxor Temple was the main venue for one of ancient Egypt’s most important religious festivals, when the cult images of Amun, Mut and Khonsu⁴ were brought from their temples at Karnak. Unlike most Egyptian temples, Luxor Temple faces towards Karnak⁴ instead of sitting on an east-west axis.

The statues come in more than one form:

• Human-headed sphinxes: an avenue of them once linked the temples of Karnak and Luxor¹³.
• Ram-headed sphinxes (criosphinxes): believed to stand for Amun¹², they were built in Thebes, where his cult was strongest.
• The classic sphinx: a mythical creature with a human head and a lion’s body, like the Great Sphinx at Giza, a limestone resting sphinx¹⁴.

The West Bank holds the major ruins⁶, including the Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Queens. Before you cross, have a look at:

• the Ramesseum guide
• the history of the Colossi of Memnon statues
• more Luxor things to do

Abydos, home of the Temple of Seti I, is near al-Balyana, 90 km¹⁷ north of Luxor. The Dendera and Abydos day tour leaves from Luxor. Arriving by boat? Read more on Nile cruise itineraries.