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Egypt Today
In a glittering ceremony in the City of Sun, Luxor, Egypt reopened the restored 3,000 years old ‘Avenue of Sphinxes’ on Thursday. It connects the Karnak Temple and Luxor Temple.
The Pharaonic ‘Avenue of Sphinxes’ (Rams Road) is as an open-air museum. It has taken years of excavations and restorations. The historic event was attended by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, prominent statesmen and ambassadors of foreign countries to Egypt.
“For 70 years, Egyptian restorers have been working to renovate ‘Al-kebbash Road’. I praise the work of Egyptian archaeologists. Luxor deserves to be dubbed the ‘Largest Open Museum’ in the world”, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Khaled al-Anany, said at the ceremony.
“We managed to unveil ‘Al-Kebbash Road’. However, the archaeological work has not ended. It will resume for many years to come. We discovered 250 statues with ram heads. Numerous kings are ascribed with the creation of the Sphinx statues along the road”, the Minister added.
The 2,700 metre Rams Road was the route of major processions for the kings and Pharaohs. It is a ‘festive avenue’ for various holidays, including the renowned Opet Festival; the Ancient Egyptian Festival celebrated in (Thebes) Luxor and the coronation feast of the king, especially during the New Kingdom of 1550 to 1069 BC.
The ‘Opet Festival’ show was performed. Dazzling lights reflected on the ancient temples. Performers of the ‘Opet Festival’ celebration wore costumes which mimicked the real ancient ‘Opet Festival’ in ancient Egypt.
The United Philharmonic Orchestra, with 160 percussionists conducted by Nader Abbassi, performed the festival. Participants in the Opet Festival marched in a procession carrying their tributes. The Deity Amun-Ra was carried on the sacred boat to his harem for fertility.
Floating golden boats sailed in the Nile, designed in pharaonic style, symbolising the trinity of the sacred gods Amun, Mut and Khonsu. At the opening ceremony, performers chanted songs based on inscriptions from the walls and pillars in the avenue.
The ceremony featured a number of artistic performances, carefully choreographed dances and ancient Egyptian inspired songs. It included a short film dubbed ‘Luxor the secret’, in which Egyptian actors and artists featured to portray the history behind Luxor’s glory.
