Luxor Temple opens in the evening and stays open until 9 or 10pm, and the experience of visiting after dark is quite different from the daytime. The floodlighting, warm and dramatic against the black sky, throws the pylons and colossi into sharp relief and makes the scale of the entrance dramatically apparent. The crowds thin considerably by evening, and the Abu Haggag Mosque glowing above the ancient stonework adds an extra layer of historical texture.
The approach along the partly-excavated Avenue of Sphinxes is particularly effective at night, when the long rows of illuminated sphinx statues stretch away toward the darkness of Karnak. The interior halls and the inner sanctuary are also lit, allowing a much more atmospheric viewing of the painted reliefs than in flat daylight. This is not a separate experience from a daytime visit but a useful complement to it, and the cooler evening temperature makes the walk more comfortable in most seasons.