The Avenue of Sphinxes links Karnak and Luxor Temples over about 2.7 km. See its history, the Opet festival and how to visit. The Avenue of Sphinxes is an ancient processional road in Luxor, about 2.7 km long, that links Karnak Temple in the north with Luxor Temple in the south. Statues lined the road, and it carried the Opet festival procession between the two temples. Egypt held a grand reopening ceremony for the restored avenue on 25 November 2021. Key Takeaways The avenue is about 2.7 km long and joins Karnak Temple to Luxor Temple. Egypt staged the reopening ceremony on 25 November 2021, after a long restoration. It was the route of the Opet festival, when the sacred barque (a ceremonial boat shrine) of Amun-Ra travelled from Karnak to Luxor Temple. Sources disagree on how many statues lined it, from over 600 to 1,057, so treat any single number as approximate. The verified opening hours we hold are for the temples at each end: Karnak 06:00-17:00 and Luxor Temple 06:00-20:00 daily. Confirm the avenue’s own access rules before you go. What the Avenue of Sphinxes is Think of it as a stone road between two temples. In ancient Thebes (today’s Luxor), the great temple of Amun at Karnak and the smaller temple at Luxor were joined by a processional way, known as a dromos (a ceremonial avenue). Rows of sphinxes, statues with a lion’s body and a human or ram head, stood along its sides. Do not confuse it with the Great Sphinx at Giza. That is a single monument beside the pyramids; read about it in our guide to the Great Sphinx of Giza. The Luxor avenue is a long road of many statues. Quick facts ItemWhat sources say LocationLuxor, between Karnak Temple and Luxor Temple LengthAbout 2.7 km Also calledThe Dromos StatuesTraditional sphinxes and ram-headed statues Reopening ceremony25 November 2021 Credited builderNectanebo I (30th Dynasty) is credited with completing it FestivalOpet History: the Opet festival and Nectanebo I Each year the Opet festival brought the god Amun-Ra from Karnak to Luxor Temple. Priests carried his barque, the sacred boat shrine, along this road so that the god could visit the gods of Luxor Temple. The road is older than many of its statues. Sources credit Nectanebo I, a pharaoh of the 30th Dynasty, with completing the avenue, while some Egyptologists attribute its beginning to Amenhotep III. Because accounts differ, read any single “built by” claim as a simplification. How many sphinxes were there? No single figure is agreed. Different published sources give different totals, so we do not publish one number as fact. SourceFigure given Egypt-Museum.com1,057 statues in total: 807 traditional sphinxes and 250 ram-headed NBC News (reopening report)Over 600 ram-headed and traditional sphinxes The Art Newspaper (headline)About 1,000 sphinxes Visiting: temples at each end We do not hold a verified opening time or ticket price for the avenue itself, so check the official Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities channel or ask your guide on the day. For the two temples it connects, our figures come from the official ministry site (checked 13 August 2026), and prices and hours can change. TempleOpening hoursForeign adult ticket Karnak TempleDaily 06:00-17:00EGP 600 (includes the Open Museum in Karnak) Luxor TempleDaily 06:00-20:00EGP 500 Both temples are covered in our own guides: read about Karnak Temple and Luxor Temple before you go. Seeing it on a Luxor tour Most visitors meet the avenue as part of an East Bank day, which centres on the two temples. Our Luxor East Bank tour with Karnak and Luxor Temples and the Luxor East Bank tour cover that side of the city. If you would rather see Karnak after dark, look at the Karnak sound and light show from Luxor. Ask the operator whether your route includes the avenue before you book. Frequently asked questions How long is the Avenue of Sphinxes? About 2.7 km, according to most published sources. Which temples does it connect? Karnak Temple in the north and Luxor Temple in the south. When did the Avenue of Sphinxes reopen? Egypt held the grand reopening ceremony on 25 November 2021. Who built the Avenue of Sphinxes? Nectanebo I of the 30th Dynasty is credited with completing it, and some Egyptologists attribute its start to Amenhotep III. Is it the same as the Great Sphinx? No. The Great Sphinx stands at Giza; the Avenue of Sphinxes is a processional road in Luxor. How many sphinxes does it have? Sources disagree, with figures from over 600 up to 1,057.