Avenue of the Sphinxes: Egypt reopens road connecting Luxor and Karnak
President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi marched along both sides of the road at the start of the ceremony. The pharaonic chariots and more than 400 child artists dressed in pharaonic costumes paraded along the avenue.
Visitors walk past the statues of Pharaoh Ramses II of the New Ancient Egyptian Kingdom at night.
Khaled Desouki / AFP / Getty Getty Images Getty Images
The 3,400-year-old road connecting the ancient centers of Karnak and Luxor, also known as the Road of the Rams or the Avenue of the Sphins, is lined with hundreds of rams and sphinx heads, though over the years it has eroded or destroyed.
The road has undergone many restoration efforts since its discovery in 1949 and the most recent one started in 2017.
A view of the sphinxes with heads along the 2700 meter road leading from Luxor Temple to Karnak Temple.
Khaled Desouki / AFP / Getty Images
Tourism is an important source of employment and currency for Egypt, which has made a concerted effort to attract travelers shunned by the coronavirus pandemic.
In April, 22 ancient royal mummies from Luxor and the nearby Valley of the Kings were carried by procession of Egyptian mummies from Cairo’s Egyptian Museum to the National Museum of the New Egyptian Civilization.
Egypt’s tourism revenue falls to around $4 billion in 2020, down from $13 billion in 2019.