Amenhotep's Hypostyle Hall

The common citizen may have been forbidden to enter the sanctuary and inner courts of Luxor, but we are not so constrained. Moving past the Solar Court, we enter the Hall of Amenhotep, a hypostyle hall that contains 32 papyrus bundle columns arranged in four rows of eight. A roof once rested on these columns and the walls were covered with scenes of Amenhotep making sacrifice of animals, birds and fish to Amun and his female counterpart Amunet. At the end of the rituals, the king is shown being embraced by Amun and receiving life from him.

Roman altar to Constantine

The vestibule, a smaller passage that may have served as a Court of Royal Appearances, lies between the hall and the inner shrines. This area once had eight columns, but it was converted into a Roman temple for the cult of the Emperor and then, during Diocletian's reign it became a camp for Roman soldiers. It was plastered over and repainted at that time and some of the paint can still be seen.

Still later, this area of the temple served as a Coptic Christian Church. The entrance leading into the interior rooms was turned into an apsidal (or recessed vaulted niche), flanked by two red granite columns with Corinthian capitals.

Roman altar to Constantine