"A 2.7-kilometre sphinx-lined processional road linking Luxor's two great temples."
Avenue of Sphinxes (Dromos), Luxor Overview
The Avenue of Sphinxes, also called the Dromos, is a 2.7-kilometre processional road connecting Karnak Temple to Luxor Temple in Luxor, Egypt. Built in stages from the New Kingdom through the 30th Dynasty reign of Nectanebo I (380-362 BC), it was originally lined with 1,057 statues, including human-headed sphinxes and ram-headed criosphinxes. Buried under sand for centuries, the avenue was excavated in phases between 1949 and 2000 and later fully restored, reopening to the public on 25 November 2021 after a large state ceremony.
Construction of the Avenue of Sphinxes began during Egypt's New Kingdom and was completed under 30th Dynasty ruler Nectanebo I. The route holds 807 human-headed sphinx statues alongside 250 ram-headed criosphinxes, some originally built under Amenhotep III and Tutankhamun, nearly all now restored to their original positions. Archaeologists first uncovered sections in 1949, with further excavations through the 1960s and full mapping of the route completed by 2000. After decades of restoration work, Egypt reopened the avenue on 25 November 2021 with a televised procession attended by President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. Visitors can now walk the full paved stretch between Karnak and Luxor temples.
