Statue of Nefertari standing at the foot of a colossal statue in the Great Court of Ramses II, Luxor, Egypt

"The so-called papyrus-bud columns of the eastern colonnade constructed by Ramesses II around his great court: colossal statues bearing the king's name stand between the columns in the areas where the people were allowed to congregate during religious processions." [Wilkinson R., 2000: The Complete Temples of Ancient Egypt. Thames and Hudson]. "With the village of Karnak, Luxor (Al Uqsur) is on the site of ancient Thebes (capital of the New Kingdom). When Thebes declined, Luxor remained the more heavily populated part of the ancient city and grew into a modern market town." [The J.P.Getty Fund: Thesaurus of Geographic Names]. This photograph was taken when Eliot Elisofon was on assignment for Life magazine and traveled to Africa from January 8, 1947 to end of June 1947.