LUXOR, Egypt, Nov 25 (MENA) – President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and his spouse attended a legendary celebration of the opening of Sphinx Avenue (Road of the Rams), the oldest historical passage in the world, amid global interest in the Egyptian civilization that dates back to thousands of years and has reflected on various parts of the world.

The ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Dr Mostafa Madbouly, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Dr Khaled El-Anani and senior state officials.

The epic celebration was covered by about 200 accredited international media correspondents in Egypt.
The celebration started with a song by Egyptian singer Mohamed Hamaki and Italian singer Lara Iskander, who were accompanied by dancers.

The event also included a show by a number of horse carriages for which Luxor is famous.

President Sisi and his wife watched a documentary on the governorate of Luxor, dubbed "Luxor, The secret".

The film, which featured a host of artists, Luxor residents and archaeologists, reviewed a group of areas, temples, and civilizations that succeeded there, including the ancient Egyptian civilization to the modern one and the Greek, the Coptic and the Islamic civilizations.

Guests in the film talked about tourist activities that take place in Luxor in parallel with visits to antiquities, including hot air balloons, Nile cruises, shopping, sports and recreational activities.

The film shed light on the religious diversity in Luxor, and the mosques and churches there.

The Tourism and Antiquities Minister shed light on the tourism volume in Luxor and how tourists are fond of the city.
This is the second global event to take place in Egypt following the inauguration of the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization with the spectacular Pharaohs’ Golden Parade that saw the transferring of 22 mummies from the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square to their new home.

The event reflects President Sisi's keenness on highlighting the richness and glory of Egypt's ancient civilization in tandem with his keenness on carrying out mega national projects across the country.

The King’s Festivities Road of the Rams dates back to 5,000 years ago.

The road was built for the purpose of witnessing the annual celebrations of the Opet Festival, feasts and special occasions, as well as the coronation of kings, with processions that extended from Karnak Temples to Luxor Temple.

The King’s Festivities Road hosts statues of the Great Sphinx or rams along its length of 2,700 meters from the Luxor Temple to Karnak Temples. In the Pharaonic eras, the number of rams in the two rows was 1,300 rams, but currently there are only about 300 of the original rams. The rest of the rams were destroyed in the eras that followed the Pharaonic era.

The construction of this road began in the rule of King Amenhotep III of the 18th Dynasty, who started the construction of the Luxor Temple.

However, the largest share of the road’s implementation was completed during the reign of King Nectanebo I, founder of the 30th Dynasty.

Rams in the road symbolize the god Amun that represents fertility of the ancient Egyptians, and the Ancient Egyptians called it "Wat-nTr", meaning the Path of God. These statues were carved from a single block of sandstone with a cornice inscribed with the king's name and titles. (MENA)

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