The Avenue of Sphinxes was the ceremonial road linking Luxor Temple to the vast complex at Karnak, used for processions during the annual Opet Festival. For centuries the avenue was buried under the modern city, with sphinxes turning up occasionally during construction. A major excavation project has now exposed most of the three-kilometre route, and the restored avenue is one of Luxor's most dramatic recent attractions.
Walking the avenue from Luxor Temple northward toward Karnak gives a visceral sense of the monumental scale of ancient Thebes. The sphinxes — some ram-headed (representing Amun) near Karnak, human-headed nearer Luxor — stand in long parallel rows, most of them intact or reconstructed. The walk is impressive in daylight and spectacular at night when the avenue is illuminated. Budget an extra hour if you plan to walk the full distance between the two temples.