During the New Kingdom reigns of Amenhotep III, Tutankhamun, and Seti I, sandstone relief blocks were carved for the Opet Festival—an ancient celebration affirming the pharaoh’s possession of the royal Ka. Many of these fragments originally formed the Colonnade Hall and Sun Court of Luxor Temple before being repurposed over centuries, from late antiquity through the medieval period and even in the 19th century, when excavators likely reused them in constructing the Corniche Boulevard!
What began as an epigraphic survey evolved into a seven-season conservation project between 1995 and 2001, led by Hiroko Kariya and John Stewart. The team undertook extensive efforts to conserve, document, piece together, and reinstate the block fragments. The team evaluated and treated the blocks, addressing damage caused by salt efflorescence, weather, and poor storage.
