Which pharaoh is primarily credited with building the Luxor Temple?

Amenhotep III is primarily credited with building Luxor Temple. He established its main architectural core during the 18th Dynasty, around 1400 BCE, on the east bank of the Nile at ancient Thebes.

The Egyptians called the sanctuary Ipet Resyt, meaning “southern sanctuary.” Unlike a mortuary temple built chiefly for a dead ruler, Luxor Temple was associated with kingship and renewal. It played an important role in the Opet Festival, when the sacred barque of Amun traveled from Karnak to Luxor Temple in a ceremony linked to the rejuvenation of the king.

Later pharaohs expanded and reshaped the complex. Tutankhamun completed parts of the grand colonnade, while Ramesses II added the first pylon, colossal statues, and the famous obelisk. These additions can make Ramesses II seem like the principal builder, but Amenhotep III created the temple’s central structure.

The temple continued to be used long after the pharaonic period. Romans converted part of it into a church, and the Abu Haggag Mosque was later established within the ancient complex.