Egypt finally reopens an ancient path.
Thousands of years ago, Egyptians used to gather to celebrate their gods, kings and queens. They used to sing special tunes to glorify their mighty rules. Egyptians did all of that and much more in a city called Thebes, which was later named Luxor. And Now, Egyptians are reviving their ancient past as they just reopened a historic road with a magnificent show. Keep reading to learn more!
The Path Of God
Avenue of the Sphinxes connects two of the most prominent temples in Luxor, Karnak Temple and Luxor Temple. Some researchers believe that this road was first built around 3500 years ago under the rule of Queen Hatshepsut while others say that there isn’t “enough evidence on that theory.” Some experts believe workers started building it under King Amenhotep III. One thing that most experts agreed on is that most of the road was built under the reign of King Nectanebo I around 2400 years ago.
This ancient path used to have 1300 statues of the Great sphinx and rams along its sides. Now, there are only around 300 original rams left. The rams represented a god called Amun. That’s why the road itself was called the Path of God. In ancient Egypt, people used to move three statues of gods: Amun, Mot and Khonsu, from the Karnak Temple to the Luxor temple on foot or using boats. This was part of the Opet Festival. That festival was held annually in the second month of the flooding season of the Nile River. There are drawings and inscriptions on the walls of Karnak Temple that portray the festival.
Over the years, the road was buried under the sand. In 1949, Dr. Zakaria Ghoneim discovered the first eight sphinx statues in front of the Luxor temple. Zakaria Ghoneim was an Egyptian archaeologist.
Reviving The Road
On Thursday, Egypt reopened the historic road of the rams with a wonderful show that was attended by the Egyptian president, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, many members of the government and foreign guests. “We will present a show inspired by Opet Festival. The following celebration is inspired by the Opet Festival in ancient Egypt, which took place during the second month of the Nile flood season,” said Khaled Anani. Anani is the Egyptian minister of Antiquities and Tourism in Egypt.
“Every place in Luxor has part of Egypt History. No building in the world matches the brilliance of the archaeological area that surrounds us.”, said Anani. Anani added, “Today we celebrate Luxor in its ‘new shape.” He explained that Egyptian workers have been working to renovate the Road for 70 years.” He also called Luxor “the Largest Open Museum in the world.”
The show started with a song called “The first call.” This tune is inspired by the Opet festival and it was taken from the hymns on the walls of Egyptian temples. After that, a group of dancers imitated a dance that was performed in the festival thousands of years ago.
Songs continued. Another singer took the stage and performed The Hatshepsut chant. This holy song was also sung in the old festival. The eyes were all set on the sacred boats and dancers mimicked the movement of the Nile River. Dancers and performers wore customs of ancient priests, civilians and noblemen. The boats kept moving to continue the magical journey.
Finally, Fireworks lit the skies of Luxor ending this fascinating ceremony.
The show ended but Egypt’s secrets haven’t all been revealed yet! We’ll have to wait to see what the ancient country would bring next to the world. Keep following globitopia to discover Egypt’s hidden gems.
