Luxor sports directorate stages race at Karnak Temple on 27 November
Published on 11/14/2026 at 17:28 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWSRace route and ancient setting
- Luxor Youth and Sports Directorate will stage Move Get Started on 27 November 2026, ending at Karnak Temple.
- The 5-kilometre route begins at Abu el-Haggag Square and is open to participants of all ages and both sexes.
- The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities records 134 columns in the Great Hypostyle Hall, with the central twelve reaching 21 metres.
- Ancient Thebes and its Necropolis, including the temple complex, entered the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1979.
A 5-kilometre public race will finish at Karnak Temple (Ipet-Sut) in Luxor, Egypt, on 27 November 2026. The Move Get Started event links a morning route through the city with one of the ancient world’s largest religious complexes.
Move Get Started ends at Karnak Temple on 27 November
The Luxor Youth and Sports Directorate announced the race under the Arabic title Move Get Started. The event is scheduled for Friday, 27 November 2026, with participants gathering at Abu el-Haggag Square at 7.30am before setting out on the 5-kilometre course.
The finish and closing point will be at the temple complex. The announcement says that participation is open to all age groups and both sexes, making the site the endpoint of a public sporting route rather than simply a backdrop for a private function. The race announcement and route details identify the directorate as organiser and name the temple as the finish.
The race route meets a complex built over centuries
The finish lies on the east bank of the Nile in modern Luxor, where the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities describes a group of temples and chapels centred on the Great Temple of Amun. Construction and additions continued from the reign of Intef II, dated by the ministry to about 2112 to 2063 BC, through the Ptolemaic and Roman periods.
The Great Hypostyle Hall provides the clearest architectural link between the race and the destination. Its 134 columns include 12 larger central columns that rise to 21 metres, while most of the hall’s construction and decoration belong to Sety I and Rameses II. The Ministry’s Karnak overview also records the complex’s east-west axis and its processional connection with Luxor Temple.
Ancient Thebes gives the finish a wider setting
Karnak forms part of the wider ancient city of Thebes, whose monuments extend across both banks of the Nile. The ministry states that Ancient Thebes and its Necropolis were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1979, with Karnak and Luxor Temple on the east bank and royal temples and necropolises on the west bank.
The same heritage landscape includes the Avenue of Sphinxes, an ancient processional way running for around 2,700 metres between Karnak and Luxor Temple. That north-south relationship gives the November route a modern sporting echo of the ceremonial movement that once connected the two sanctuaries.
Visiting Karnak Temple: what travellers from Western Europe should know
- The Move Get Started race takes place on 27 November 2026. Gathering begins at Abu el-Haggag Square at 7.30am, and the 5-kilometre route ends at the temple complex.
- The race is open to all age groups and both sexes, but participants must collect their race number from the Luxor Youth and Sports Directorate at least 24 hours before the event.
- The venue is on the east bank of the Nile in Luxor, with the route connecting Abu el-Haggag Square and the Karnak finish.
- Visitors should expect an archaeological site with pylons, chapels, processional spaces and the 134-column Great Hypostyle Hall; the complex covers uneven historic ground and includes large open courtyards.
- Entry requirements depend on your nationality; UK travellers can check the FCDO travel advice at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, Irish travellers the Department of Foreign Affairs at ireland.ie.
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Frequently asked questions about Karnak Temple
When does Move Get Started take place at Karnak Temple?
The race is scheduled for 27 November 2026. It begins at Abu el-Haggag Square and finishes at the temple complex.
What is Karnak Temple?
It is a temple complex on the east bank of the Nile in Luxor, centred on the Great Temple of Amun and containing the 134-column Great Hypostyle Hall.
Where is Karnak Temple and how do you get there?
The complex is in Luxor on the east bank of the Nile. The race route provides a confirmed event connection from Abu el-Haggag Square to the temple on 27 November 2026.
