Mortuary Temple of Amenhotep III

The Mortuary Temple of Amenhotep III once stood on the west bank of the Nile opposite Luxor, covering about 35 hectares at Kom el-Hetan. Built during the pharaoh’s lifetime in the 14th century BC, it was enclosed by a wall and divided by mud-brick pylons into four courtyards, with the main building in the southern section. The first pylon was guarded by two colossal statues of Amenhotep—the famous Colossi of Memnon—while an avenue of sphinxes led toward the fourth pylon. The Sun Court was surrounded by papyrus-form columns 14 meters high, between which stood quartzite and granite statues of the pharaoh. A stela depicting Amenhotep and Queen Tiye survives in the southern part of the court, while sanctuaries of Amun-Ra and Ptah-Sokar-Osiris adjoined it to the north and south. The temple collapsed after an earthquake in the 13th century BC and was further damaged by flooding and its shallow foundations. Today, some statues have been restored on site, while many artifacts are kept in Luxor Museum, preserving the memory of the pharaoh’s grandeur and era.

Luxor still preserves the story of the ‘singing’ Colossus of Memnon, the right-hand statue of Amenhotep III. After an earthquake in 27 BC, the colossus cracked, and at dawn unusual sounds—whistling, groaning, or a melodic voice—seemed to emerge from a fissure across its head and torso. Ancient Egyptians regarded the sound as a favorable sign and silence as an omen of trouble. Greeks and Romans linked it with Memnon and his mother Eos: some believed the son greeted his mother in song, while others heard the goddess mourning him. The voice disappeared around AD 199 after Roman repairs sealed the damaged statue.