The outer walls of 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. The outer walls of the pylons were decorated in the time of Ramesses with a depiction of the Battle of Kadesh (1285BC), and the reliefs of the inner walls of the gateway were added by the Nubian king Shabaka in the 25th dynasty." [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 American Institute of Architects, directing the Egyptian portion of the documentary on Ancient Egypt, March 1965 and September 1965.