Luxor: Egyptian authorities were unveiling Thursday a renovated ancient promenade in the city of Luxor dating back 3,000 years, the latest government project undertaken to highlight the country's archaeological treasures.
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The ancient walkway _ known as the Avenue of the Sphinxes, but also dubbed the Way of the Rams and the Path of the Gods _ connects the famous Karnak and Luxor temples in what was the city of Thebes, which used to be Egypt's capital in antiquity.
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It is believed to have been the path that pilgrims trod to visit the temples and pay tribute to their deities.
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Lined with statues of rams and sphinxes on pedestals, the ancient road in Luxor, which sits on the banks of the Nile River and is located about 650 kilometers (400 miles) south of Cairo, stretches for several miles and had been under excavation for more than 50 years.
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President Abdel Fatah Al Sissi attended the made-for-TV event, a late evening ceremony that nodded to an ancient fall holiday, along with other senior officials.
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Mohamed Abd Al Badei, a top Egyptian archeology officials, said the oldest ruins along the pathway are six structures built by Queen Hatshepsut, Egypt's only woman pharaoh, that date to 1400 B.C.
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He said that according to hieroglyphics on the walls of one of the temples, the ancient holiday was known as 'Opet' and was marked by parades and dancers in celebration of the bounty that the Nile's annual flooding brought to the fields.
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Performers dance during the official ceremony opening the 'Rams Road' outside the Temple of Luxor.
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Fireworks light the sky during the official ceremony opening the "Rams Road" outside the pylon and remaining obelisk at the entrance of the Temple of Luxor.
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