The one remaining obelisk and colossi of Ramses II before the entrance pylon. Luxor, Egypt

"It is easy to think of the entrance to the Egyptian temple in terms of the huge pylon gateways which are the most visible parts of temples to have survived. In reality, however, the pylons usually lay well within the domain of the gods, and the actual temple entrances included elements such as the landing quays, kiosks, gates and processional ways which preceded the temple's outer walls. The present entrance is through the pylon of Ramesses II, once fronted with six colossi of the king (two seated and four standing) and two obelisks. One of the obelisks and two of the statues were transported to Paris in the last century, but those that remain provide impressive examples of these monuments." [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 working on "The Nile" project and traveled to Africa from March 14, 1961 to March 31, 1961, visiting Egypt.