The Avenue of Sphinxes: A 3,000-Year-Old Pathway Returns to the Light
The Avenue of Sphinxes, or "Road of the Rams" has emerged once again after 3,000 years of obscurity, revealing its majestic grandeur to the world.
Originally, the Avenue of Sphinxes was a grand royal path linking Luxor Temple to the Karnak Temple, stretching over 2,700 meters. In ancient times, this route was used by the Pharaohs for religious ceremonies and grand celebrations. The path had two names: "Wat Neter", meaning "The Path of God," and "Ta Mi Rehent", meaning "The Avenue of the Rams." The latter name comes from the fact that the entire path was adorned with statues of rams, positioned like the mythical Sphinxes. These ram statues symbolized the powerful god Amun, the chief deity of ancient Egypt.
For centuries, the Avenue remained hidden beneath the earth, its existence forgotten. It wasn’t until 1949 that the pathway was rediscovered by the famed archaeologist Dr. Zakaria Gheneim, who, while excavating, uncovered 14 ram statues. Later, in the 1960s, Dr. Mohamed Abdel-Razek discovered 64 additional statues. However, it wasn’t until 2002 that Dr. Mohamed El-Shaiger confirmed the full extent of the avenue—measuring 2.7 kilometers in length and adorned with a total of 1,200 ram statues. Dr. El-Shaiger’s work accurately mapped the ancient path, shedding light on this once-forgotten royal road.
Today, the Avenue of Sphinxes stands as a testament to the glory of ancient Egypt, and its reopening offers a unique opportunity for travelers to walk in the footsteps of Pharaohs and experience the ancient world like never before.
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