The Museum of Ancient Egyptian Art in Luxor was opened in 1975 in a building specially built for that purpose by Mr. Mahmud el-Hakim, on the main street of the tourist center of the city, next to the Nile cornice. Its collection consists of of statues and stelae of Thebes and other surrounding sites, especially Semenu. The most important addition to the initial collection is a series of statues of kings and deities, excavated in the temple of Luxor in 1989. The secret deposit was discovered accidentally under the patio of Amenophis III, when the authorities studied the causes of an instability in the columns of the patio. The new monuments are in a special gallery, open to the public.
Most objects are from the New Kingdom or a little later. During that period the region showed a spectacular development; nevertheless, the collection covers all Pharaonic history, the prehistoric, Greco-Roman and Coptic era.
Among the numerous objects, chosen for their historical or artistic interest, we will mention only some of particular importance:
The head of a granite statue of Sesostris III (12th dynasty), of the Karnak temple. It carries a double crown with the uraeus on the forehead and the ceremonial silver beard. The head is typical of the royal portraits of the Middle Kingdom. Large ears, heavy eyelids and prominent cheekbones are characteristic. The name of the king is inscribed in what remains of the plinth, but it can also be identified by stylistic considerations.