“Ancient Egypt from a Sufi Perspective? Shaykh Aby l-Ḥajjāj and the Luxor Temple”

This article presents an emblematic case study of the complex relationships between Islam and pre-exisisting religious traditions in Medieval Egypt: that of the prominent Sufi master Shaykh Abū l-Ḥajjāj al-Uqṣurī (d. 642 AH/1244 CE), whose mosque was built , probably over an ancient church, within the area of the Pharaonic Temple of Luxor. This amazing location mirrors both the pivotal role that the shaykh is traditionally attributed in the full Islamization of the region , and the highly complex stratigraphy of its material and spiritual landscape. In this framework, the article provides an analysis of hagiographical traditions on Shaykh Abu l-Hajjaj and other Sufis of his time, with a special focus on their attitudes towards Ancient Egyptian religious culture and its surviving traces, as well towards the Christian presence in the area.