Twelve sphinx statues have been found near the Karnak Temple in Luxor, Minister of Culture Farouk Hosni has announced. The statues were found by a mission of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, which was excavating in the area of the Ram Road which leads to the temple.
The statues date back to the reign of King Nectanebo I (380-363 BC), the last pharaoh of the 30th Dynasty.
Council Secretary-General Zahi Hawass said the statues were found at the end of the King Nectanebo I road that starts at the Temple of Luxor, crosses the road leading to the Temple of the Goddess Mut, and ends at the Temple of Karnak.
“It is the road of the sacred procession of the God Amun on his annual visit to his wife, Goddess Mut, in the Temple of Luxor,” explained Hawass. “This road was referred to in the ancient manuscripts.”
Luxor Antiquities Director Mansour Brek said the mission also found pottery and oil presses that date back to the Roman era on the same road, which, according to Brek, is 600 meters long.
Translated from the Arabic Edition.
