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===Thebes in the Late New Kingdom===
[[File: HypostyleHall.jpg|300px|thumbnail|left| The Karnak Temple in Thebes]]
[[File: Ramesseum.jpg|300px|thumbnail|leftright| The Ramesseum on the West Bank of Thebes]]
Akhenaten’s attempts to change Egypt’s religion and culture were short lived, because once his successor Tutankhamun (reigned c. 1336-1327 BC) came to the throne he returned the kingdom to its orthodox religion, which meant that Thebes would once again become prominent. A text discovered in the Hypostyle Hall of the Karnak Temple describes how Tutankhamun restored the Amun priests in Thebes to their prior position and endowed their temples with generous gifts.
Construction of the Luxor Temple began during the rule of Amenhotep III, but it was largely completed by Ramesses II. Ramesses II constructed a pylon and a courtyard on the north end, with six colossal statues built to stand guard. The Luxor Temple served as the national shrine for the cult of the divine king, making it and Thebes a major attraction in the New Kingdom. <ref> Haeny, Gerhard. “New Kingdom ‘Mortuary Temples’ and ‘Mansions of Millions of Years.’” In <i> Temples of Ancient Egypt.</i> Edited by Byron E. Shaffer. (Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press, 1997), pgs. 147-57</ref>
Most of the Ramesside kings left some mark at Thebes, and even those who left few visible signs of their reigns were buried in the Valley of the Kings. The most impressive builder in the city after Ramesses II, though, was Ramesses III (reigned 1184-1153 BC). Although Ramesses III took the same name as his illustrious forebearer, he was of no direct relation; but he did emulate Ramesses II’s propensity to build in and around Thebes. Ramesses III’s most impressive monumental gift to the Thebes region was the construction of the massive temple known today as Medinet Habu, which was the last great temple of the New Kingdom. Medinet Habu served as the cult complex of Ramesses III, but there was also a chapel on the grounds that honored Ramesses II. Perhaps as a sign of the decreasing stability of the Egyptian state at the time, Medinet Habu doubled as a fortress. <ref> Haeny, pgs. 107-9</ref>
===Amun and Thebes===
