380 



NORTH-EAST AFEICA. 



right bank of the Nile. During the inundations the groups of monuments here 

 still rise Kke islets in the midst of the waters. 



Luxor (^Liiqsor, Al-Aksore'in) or " The Two Palaces," the largest village erected 

 on the site of the ancient city, merely occupies an artificial mound or heap of 

 crumbling ruins. But in this mound is partly buried a fine temple, which is at 

 present being excavated. Before the monument stood two obelisks bearing 

 inscriptions in honour of Ramses II. But of these one only survives, the other 

 now occupying the centre of the Place de la Concorde, in Paris. Round the 

 temple nothing is visible except shapeless masses of refuse and cultivated ground, 



Fig. 113. -Ruins of 1'hfbcs. 



Scale 1 : 78,000. 



./ i 









25T 



t(B£ai Abou Harnouc/i 



s L 





L o breenwiLl 



o2°40 



,200 Yards. 



but towards the north-east stretches an avenue 2,200 yards long lined with 

 pedestals, some still supporting fragments of sphinxes with the body of a lion and 

 head of a woman, and holding in their fore-paws the effigy of Amenhotep III. 

 This avenue is succeeded by an alley of sphinxes with rams' heads, leading 

 directly to the monuments of Karnak — pylons, sculptured walls, naves, colonnades, 

 obelisks, sphinxes, and statues. 



Further explorations by Professor Maspero in the year 1885 have resulted in 

 some important fresh discoveries. The great roofed sanctuary of Amenhotep III. 

 is now completely cleared ; the columns of the central colonnade are visible for 

 over two- thirds of their height, and the original pavement of this part of the 



