Egypt restores ancient road linking temples of Luxor and Karnak

Grand ceremony for reopening of 3,400-year-old road aims to help revive tourism industry

A restored road connecting two ancient Egyptian temple complexes in Karnak and Luxor has been unveiled in a lavish ceremony aimed at raising the profile of one of Egypt's top tourist spots.

The procession on Thursday to reopen the 1.7-mile (2.7km) road included a reenactment of the ancient Opet festival, in which statues of Theban deities were paraded annually during the New Kingdom era in celebration of fertility and the flooding of the Nile.