Luxor Temple, view from the north. Luxor, Egypt

"The axis of the Luxor Temple ran approximately north-south, roughly paralleling the course of the Nile. Typical of the Egyptian temples, it was constructed from the inside out. The sanctuary was built first; next the entrance way leading to it was elaborated; then subsidiary structures were added to magnify the structure as a whole. Thus the platform at the south end was the first component; to that was added the courtyard of Amenhotep III; next came the colonnade; finally, Ramesses (Ramses) II constructed his pylon and courtyard at the north end." [Lanny Bell, 1997: The New Kingdom 'Divine' Temple: The Example of Luxor. Temples of Ancient Egypt. Cornell University Press]. "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.