Page:Africa by Élisée Reclus, Volume 1.djvu/468

 right bank of the Nile. During the inundations the groups of monuments here still rise like islets in the midst of the waters.

Luxor (Lugsor, Al-Aksoreïn) or "The Two Palaces," the largest village erected on the site of the ancient city, merely occupies an artificial mound or heap of crumbling ruins. But in this mound is partly buried a fine temple, which is at present being excavated. Before the monument stood two obelisks bearing inscriptions in honour of Ramses II. But of these one only survives, the other now occupying the centre of the Place de la Concorde, in Paris. Round the temple nothing is visible except shapeless masses of refuse and cultivated ground,

but towards the north-east stretches an avenue 2,200 yards long lined with pedestals, some still supporting fragments of sphinxes with the body of a lion and head of a woman, and holding in their fore-paws the effigy of Amenhotep III. This avenue is succeeded by an alley of sphinxes with rams' heads, leading directly to the monuments of Karnak — pylons, sculptured walls, naves, colonnades, obelisks, sphinxes, and statues.

Further explorations by Professor Maspero in the year 1885 have resulted in some important fresh discoveries. The great roofed sanctuary of Amenhotep III. is now completely cleared; the columns of the central colonnade are visible for over two-thirds of their height, and the original pavement of this part of the