Egypt to reopen the ancient "Avenue of Sphinxes" centuries after it hosted parades for the gods

Parade direction
Every year, historic Egyptians might preserve a pageant called "Opet" withinside the 2d month of the Nile flooding season to have fun the fertility of the gods and the pharaoh. Priests might deliver 3 divine boats on their shoulders, transporting statues of the Theban Triad — the deities of Amun-Re, his consort Mut and their son Khonsu — from Karnak to Luxor.

The ride changed into made with the aid of using foot alongside the Avenue of Sphinxes, or once in a while with the aid of using boat alongside the Nile River.

The pageant lasted from days to weeks relying at the ruler on the time, after which the statues have been carried returned to Karnak.

Over time the street changed into deserted and buried below the sand. But in 1949, the primary 8 sphinx statues have been observed in the front of the Luxor Temple with the aid of using Egyptian archaeologist Dr. Zakaria Ghoneim.

The excavations have persisted for years, on and off, as archaeologists discover and map the historic road. They've needed to demolish a few buildings, together with mosques, a church and lots of homes, that sprung up alongside the direction over the following millennia.