# Study of the wall reliefs and other decorated architectural elements of the temple of Amenhotep III (c. 1382-1344 BC) in Kom el-Hettan (Luxor, Egypt) The temple of Amenhotep III, one of the largest and most impressive temples ever built in Egypt, was constructed during the reign of Amenhotep III (c. 1382-1344 BC) at the end of the New Kingdom 18th dynasty (c. 1539-1295 BC). The temple is located on the west bank of the Nile, opposite the modern city of Luxor (Ancient Thebes) (Al Bairat, Luxor Governorate 1341703, Egypt, 25.721529357460945, 32.60987748383864) between the Ramesseum temple to the North and Medinet Habu to the South, and on the limit between the desert and the cultivation area. The temple’s central axis stretches c. 500m from the First Pylon westward to its rear wall. The temple proper comprises three monumental mudbrick pylons preceded by colossal statues and separated by courts. The width of the temple precinct is estimated to be c. 700m and covered an area of more than 385,000m2. The third pylon connected to the Peristyle Court through a processional way. This court was surrounded by porticoes that rested on massive sandstone columns. Most of them were demolished and reused in other Theban monuments. However, many column bases are still in their original position. Colossal statues of the king stood between the columns, and two massive steles were placed on the Eastern side of the Peristyle. The temple area was enclosed with a mudbrick wall with three other northern, southern, and western gates. The north gate, made of sandstone, was marked by two quartzite standing royal colossi re-erected by the Memnon/Amenhotep III project. The temple of Amenhotep III was destroyed by an earthquake around 1200 BC. Immediately after, it served as a quarry, and the temple structures were a source of building material for the surrounding temples or constructions on either bank of the Nile in Luxor. Rediscovered in the early nineteenth century, the site became a rich and easy source of museum antiquities. By the beginning of the twentieth century, the temple was severely damaged and inundated by the Nile’s seasonal floods. In 1930, Ludwig Borchardt undertook unpublished work at the site. In the 1950s, the Department of Antiquities of Egypt performed some restoration and cleaning, but the first excavations occurred in 1964 and 1970 by the Swiss Institute of Architecture and Archaeological Studies. Since the site was severely endangered, an operation on the Colossi of Memnon was undertaken by Rainer Stadelmann in 1988, then director of the German Archaeological Institute, and a photogrammetric survey in 1990-1992. Since 1998, ‘The Colossi of Memnon and Amenhotep III Temple Conservation Project’ has worked under the auspices of the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities and the German Archaeological Institute Cairo, directed by Hourig Sourouzian with Rainer Stadelmann, and now with Dietrich Raue. This project has carried out investigations and conservation work to preserve the remains of this once-magnificent temple. Throughout the different seasons, the area has been cleaned of vegetation, and the groundwater level has been lowered first in the peristyle court and now in the major parts of the temple. Numerous royal and divine statues and fragments of wall decoration, architraves, and columns have been discovered. This grant project aims to study and publish original and largely unpublished archaeological material belonging to the wall reliefs and other decorated architectural elements of the temple of Amenhotep III to interpret and virtually recreate its decorative program. [**Dr. Linda Chapon**](/people/linda-chapon) is an archaeologist and Egyptologist whose research focuses on New Kingdom decorative and architectural programs. Since 2019, is a member of the ‘The Colossi of Memnon and Amenhotep III Temple Project’ in Luxor, mainly responsible for documentation. She is the co-primary investigator for this Shelby White and Leon Levy Program project. [**Dr. Hourig Sourouzian**](/people/hourig-sourouzian) is an Egyptologist and Art Historian specializing in statuary. Since 1998, she has been the director of ‘The Colossi of Memnon And Amenhotep III Temple Conservation Project’ in Luxor. She is the co-primary investigator for this project. **Dr. Nairy Hampikian** is a licensed architectural engineer specializing in conservation and heritage management. Since 1998, she is the site architect and responsible for the site management at ‘The Colossi of Memnon and the Temple of Amenhotep III Temple Conservation Project’ in Luxor. She is the third leading investigator for this project. ***Please click on the images below for larger views*** ![Panoramic view of the temple of Amenhotep III from the northeast.](/sites/g/files/omnuum3196/files/styles/hwp_1_1__720x720_scale/public/whitelevy/files/luxor_chapon_fig_1.jpg?itok=OrCtkghV) Panoramic view of the temple of Amenhotep III from the northeast. ![Map of ancient Thebes showing the location of the temple of Amenhotep III.](/sites/g/files/omnuum3196/files/styles/hwp_1_1__720x720_scale/public/whitelevy/files/luxor_chapon_fig_2.jpg?itok=fdRcR1Me) Map of ancient Thebes showing the location of the temple of Amenhotep III. ![View of the temple from the East with the different areas in 2018.](/sites/g/files/omnuum3196/files/styles/hwp_1_1__720x720_scale/public/whitelevy/files/luxor_chapon_fig_3.png?itok=h6BoNJZs) View of the temple from the East with the different areas in 2018. ![Virtual reconstruction of the temple, view from the northeast.](/sites/g/files/omnuum3196/files/styles/hwp_1_1__720x720_scale/public/whitelevy/files/luxor_chapon_fig_4.jpg?itok=PVnA6c_y) Virtual reconstruction of the temple, view from the northeast. ![Panoramic view of the peristyle court from the south.](/sites/g/files/omnuum3196/files/styles/hwp_1_1__720x720_scale/public/whitelevy/files/luxor_chapon_fig_5.jpg?itok=-lYLxXnQ) Panoramic view of the peristyle court from the south. ![Wall relief discovered in the temple of Amenhotep III by ‘The Colossi of Memnon and the Temple of Amenhotep III Temple Conservation Project’.](/sites/g/files/omnuum3196/files/styles/hwp_1_1__720x720_scale/public/whitelevy/files/luxor_chapon_fig_6.jpg?itok=CCpWnH1N) Wall relief discovered in the temple of Amenhotep III by ‘The Colossi of Memnon and the Temple of Amenhotep III Temple Conservation Project’. See also:- [ 2024 Sponsored Projects ](/grants-year/2024-sponsored-projects) - [ Egypt & Sudan ](/sponsored-projects-area/egypt-sudan)