Alley of sphinxes at Karnak Temple

3D Model

An avenue of human headed sphinxes of over one and a half miles (3 km) once connected the temples of Karnak and Luxor. This road was used once a year during the Opet festival when the Egyptians paraded along it carrying the statues of Amun and Mut in a symbolic re-enactment of their marriage. At Luxor temple Amun was magically transformed into Min the god of fertility.

Around 1,350 sphinx statues are thought to have lined this road together with barque chapels stocked with offerings. Queen Hatshepsut (1479-1425 BC) built six of these chapels. Each of which had a precise function such as to cool the oar of Amun or to receive the beauty of Amun.

The construction of the Avenue of Sphinxes was begun during the New Kingdom and finished during 30th Dynasty rule of Nectanebo I (380-362 BC). The road was renovated by the Ptolemaic Queen Cleopatra (51-30 BC) and later used by the Romans. Recently 850 sphinx fragmented have been discovered along a section of Sphinx road built Amenhotep III (1390-1352 BC).