The painted reliefs in the second court have special importance. They reflect its function as the site of several major festivals, and they trace the stages of religious processions involved in the festivals. Military scenes are not completely lacking, but most of the walls are devoted to festivals of the ithyphallic god, Min, and a guardian of the underworld, Ptah-Sokar. The scenes are detailed and meticulously choreographed. They are also remarkably lively, filled with dancing, singing, clapping, and eating—activities that show Egyptians having a good time even in the serious business of appeasing the gods. The second court measures 38 meters (125 feet) deep and 42 meters (138 feet) wide. On the left and right (north and south) sides, the roof of the narrow colonnade is supported by columns with closed capitals.
The east and west sides have Osirid pillars. On the rear (west) side a row of columns stand behind the pillars, and both pillars and columns stand on a wide ledge. Scenes on the pillars and columns show Rameses III offering to various gods. A part of this court was damaged in early Christian times when it was converted to a church.
The festival of Min appears on the right (north) wall and the rear (west) face of the second pylon’s right (north) tower. The festival was a brief one, lasting just one day in mid-February.
Scenes outlining the ceremony begin in the northwest corner of the court. Because of its leeward setting and the well-preserved ceiling of the colonnade, the original paint here has remained bright and fresh for over three thousand years. Many tourists are convinced that it has been recently retouched, but that is not the case. The scenes are some of the most impressive at Thebes, well worth a close look and a photograph, especially in midmorning sunlight.Royal princes carry their father on a throne in an elaborate palanquin, protected by two figures of the goddess Ma’at. Senior court officials are joined by musicians, dancers, soldiers, and priests as the procession moves west along the main axis toward a chapel of Min. A statue of Min precedes the king (it can be seen at the eastern end of the north wall). It is not hidden in a closed shrine but stands on a palanquin covered with an elaborate red cloth.
The priests who carry the image on their shoulders are hidden by the cloth and only the tops of their heads, their feet, and ankles are visible. Rows of priests march before Min and with small statues of Rameses III’s ancestors. As the king cuts grain with a curved sickle and flocks of birds are released into the air, he is said to be reborn.The left (south) wall and the rear (west) face of the second pylon’s left (south) tower depicts the festival of Ptah-Sokar, which lasted for ten days in midSeptember. Only the last five days of the festival are shown in the scenes here. Starting at the right (west) end of the court’s left wall, the king makes offerings to the hawk-headed SokarOsiris and three other deities.
Farther left (east), a statue of Sokar is placed in a bark shrine and prayers are made to the god by the king and priests. The bark is then carried out and around the perimeter of the temple. Priests carry a palanquin bearing a lotus flower, the symbol of Nefertum, a son of Ptah who is associated with the powers of the sun. On the east wall, Sokar and several other deities are greeted by joyful priests and an audience of clapping, chanting citizens
From" The Illustrated Guide to Luxor" by kent R.Weeks ,published by the American University in Cairo Press. Copyright © 2005 White Star S.p.a