Luxor Temple is a large
Ancient Egyptian temple complex located on the east bank of the Nile River in the city today known as
Luxor (ancient
Thebes) and was founded in 1400 BCE. Known in the
Egyptian language as
ipet resyt, or "the southern sanctuary". In Luxor there are several great temples on the east and west banks. Four of the major mortuary temples visited by early travelers and tourists include the
Temple of Seti I at
Gurnah, the
Temple of Hatshepsut at
Deir el Bahri, the Temple of
Ramesses II (a.k.a
Ramesseum), and the Temple of
Ramesses III at
Medinet Habu; and the two primary cults temples on the east bank are known as the
Karnak and Luxor. Unlike the other temples in Thebes, Luxor temple is not dedicated to a cult god or a deified version of the king in death. Instead Luxor temple is dedicated to the rejuvenation of kingship; it may have been where many of the kings of Egypt were crowned in reality or conceptually (as in the case of
Alexander the Great who claimed he was crowned at Luxor but may never have traveled south of Memphis, near modern Cairo.)