REPORT

ON WORK DONE

THE TEMPLE OF LUXOR

IN

1905-1906

IN

BY

ARTHUR

E.-P.

WEIGALL

INSPECTECn EN CUEF DU SERVICE DES ANTIQUITES.

Upon

the east and nortb sides of the temple of Luxor, the riibbish inounds

on which the

modem

mounds encroach
ged

bouses are

upon

in places

side the villagers

used

to

biiilt rise to a

considrable beigbt. Thse

and down

the temple ground,

throw

their

rubbisb

wbich ibus

tbeir raginto the

fell

temple preclncts. The dirt and untidiness of the place was intolrable, and
il

was iherefore decided

to

assign to

cleaning the residue of the

its

sented by H. H. DjeniilpashaToussoun, the major

Iialf

sum pre-

of which liad been

already e\pended in the excavation of fbe .Mortuarv Temple of Thout-

mosis

Gurneb.

III at

Work was commenced

temple,

i.

e.

ihat part

in

which

June icjo.
is

at the

soutb-cast corner of the

nearest to the Luxor Htel.

croaching house was purchased for the

sum

of L. E. 7

down. The rubbish mounds were then attacked, and

tery,

earlh, brickdust, and so forth were

railway trucks, and tipped

front required widening.

temple was walled

There

is

in

on

down

the

embankment,

The mounds were

llien

tons of broken pot-

down

to

the Nile on

at a point

where the
and the

tidily levelled,

tbis side.

an open court on ibe east of the temple, bebind the colonnade

wbich leads from the great court

of

Hre again the rubbish mounds were

fuse

carried

Hre an en-

and was pulled

Amenopbis
in

111 to that

amost wretcbed

of

Rameses H.

The

condition.

re-

from the bouses on the top of the mounds was thrown down the slope

into the temple.

Annalet, 1907.

Empty

tin

cans, broken crockery, etc., rolled

into
8

the

[2]

court,

and

often

mounds were,

tlie

Between

body of some dead animal was

therefore,

and

faced with stone,

tbis court

114

dug away, and

ibis court is

now

abie to be kept scrupulously clean.

and ibe soutb-east corner, ibe

was protected by tbe construction

be found bere. The

to

levelled, the slope being carefully

east side of

tlie

temple

wbere tbe

of stone walis at tbe points

ancient waiis were broken.

Tbe courlyard

whicb

in

Tbe work was now

and on tbe west

is

left

untoucbed, as

removed.

carried to tbe nortb side of tbe temple, botli in front

side of tbe pylons.

to tbe Antiquities

mosque was

stands tbe

notbing can be done untii tbe tomb

Hre a large area of ground belonging

Department lay open

to tbe village,

of rubbisb received daily tbeir deposit of dirt.

iheir donkeys, goals, or dogs,

wandered

and tbe untidy mounds

From

and

tbis point natives

tbe gaffirs being

into tbe temple,

generally unable to leave tbeir posts al tbeenlrance and in tbe temple pro-

per in order

up and

to eject

levelled,

tbe bigb

and

mounds on

tbem. Tbe whole of

a stout stone wall

tbis

area was tberefore cleaned

was buill on tbe

ibe nortb side were

river side, whiie

pusbed back and sloped

orderly manner, so as to form an enclosing barrier. Visitors are

to

walk round

lo the front of tbe

in

now

an

able

temple on clean ground.

Against tbe soulbernmost corner of the west side of the west pylon tbere

were piled in
ing

Roman

reliefs of tbe

low were found

to

times a

of

saw tbese

tbem and

of stone blocks

wbich bid tbe intereslreliefs

be-

beof considrable importance. Prof. W. Max Mller, who

a short lime aflerwards,

publication,

number

Ramesside wars. Tbese were removed, and tbe

was coUecling malerial

reliefs,

and

copies of tbe inscriptions.

invilod

in tbe Jjuxor

him

to

to

for

publish pbotograpbs

Tbis be decided

arrangedthat a copy of tbe work sliould be given

Temple

to

do, and

il

was

our Department, while

anotber bhould be presented to Prince Djemil.

Tbe process

of

removing tbe rubbisb was now pusbed soutbwards along

tbe outer face of tbe west wall of tbe temple,

enlirely

and

visitors

can now walk

round the nortb, west and south sides, passing on clean ground

between ihe outer wall of the temple and tbe enclosing wall

built

some

years ago by ibe Antiquities Department. Tbe ruins of a Coptic cburch

whicb stand on
be found

lo

tbis side of the

be of some

interest.

temple were exposed and tidiedup, andwill

During tbe excavations a block

of stone,

115

[3]

bearing ihe names of K.ing Hakoris. was found on

tlie

west side of the

westpylon. No other objecls of any value were found.

The generosity

of Prince Djemil Toussoun bas ibus ied lo ibe carrying

ihrough of a work wbieb, each year,

il

bas become a greater necessity to

underlake, and tbe tbanks of tbe Antiquities Department and of the rsidents and visilors in Luxor are due to him.

The

cost of the

work was

remains over, which

wiil

a foUows,

and

a certain

sum

be cmployed in excavations

of

money

Gurneh.
Wages

of

wokmen

Purchase of

L. E.
"

lioiise

Salary of clerk of works

Builders

'

Total

L. E.

Cash in hand

L. E.

Gurneb Excavations
Total sum received from H. H. Djemil pasha

Sg
7

45

000

10.790
i3.i35
170. 000
11. 963

208 037

L. E.

Sgo.ooo

E. p.

stili

Sheikb abdel

at

\\ EIGALL.