Karnak Temple: History and Reconstruction of the Ancient Egyptian Complex

Boasting a ‘perpetual’ construction process that spanned over two millennia (circa 21st century BC to 1st century AD), the ancient Karnak temple perimeter, mainly dedicated to the Theban triad of Amun, Mut, and Khonsu, is considered as one of the largest (or possibly even the largest) religious complexes in the world. When translated to jaw-dropping numbers, the sheer size of the compound, in its complete form, covers a whopping 200 acres or 1.2 million sq m (approx. 13 million sq ft) – the equivalent of over 220 American football fields!

Within this astounding spatial scope, the sacred enclosure of Amun alone flaunts an area of 61 acres, while the famed Hypostyle Hall measures 54,000 sq ft – which makes the largest room of any religious structure in the world. Suffice it to say, the Karnak Temple Complex was symbolically important for the ancient Egyptians, with Karnak itself being called Ipet-isu – “most select of places”. As such, the colossal site served as a pilgrimage center for nearly 2,000 years – with the veneration and fanfare focused on the main sanctuary and the proximate sacred lake that made room for the enormous floating barges of the Theban Triad.

Like many significant ancient sites of Egypt, the area of Karnak was already designated as a religious precinct, with the first monument at the site, comprising a  column in honor of Amun-Ra (circa 21st century BC), possibly even harking back to the style of the Old Kingdom. This was followed by a mortuary complex built by Mentuhotep II (responsible for overthrowing the kings of the north and reuniting Egypt under Theban rule) on the opposite side of the river from Karnak, at the Deir el-Bahri site.

In any case, the first known temple at the Karnak site itself was built by Senusret I (circa 1971-1926 BC) of the Middle Kingdom. The structure was dedicated to god Amun and architecturally may have mirrored the style of the mortuary complex across the river. The successive rulers continued to add on to the core structure, thereby gradually incrementing upon the spatial scope of the humongous precinct.

Detailed animations reconstruct the design and evolution of the Karnak Temple Complex

Posted By: Dattatreya Mandal May 3, 2018

Boasting a ‘perpetual’ construction process that spanned over two millennia (circa 21st century BC to 1st century AD), the ancient Karnak temple perimeter, mainly dedicated to the Theban triad of Amun, Mut, and Khonsu, is considered as one of the largest (or possibly even the largest) religious complexes in the world. When translated to jaw-dropping numbers, the sheer size of the compound, in its complete form, covers a whopping 200 acres or 1.2 million sq m (approx. 13 million sq ft) – the equivalent of over 220 American football fields! Within this astounding spatial scope, the sacred enclosure of Amun alone flaunts an area of 61 acres, while the famed Hypostyle Hall measures 54,000 sq ft – which makes the largest room of any religious structure in the world. Suffice it to say, the Karnak Temple Complex was symbolically important for the ancient Egyptians, with Karnak itself being called Ipet-isu – “most select of places”. As such, the colossal site served as a pilgrimage center for nearly 2,000 years – with the veneration and fanfare focused on the main sanctuary and the proximate sacred lake that made room for the enormous floating barges of the Theban Triad.


The Digital Karnak Project (link here) from University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) aims to shed light on this fascinating parcel of ancient Egyptian history, thereby making the historical legacy and prominence of the magnificent Karnak site more accessible to a wide variety of audience and aficionados – ranging from teachers to students. As for their incredible reconstruction project, UCLA said –

As part of this [aforementioned] goal, a 3D Virtual Reality model of the temple was constructed, offering students a completely new way to view the temple: reign-by-reign, following the complex patterns of royal construction, modification, and destruction that are now obscured by the latest building phases at the site. Footage of this model, as well as original videos and maps, are accompanied by thematic essays written and reviewed by Egyptologists to supply students and instructors with reliable information in a digital and visually dynamic platform.

The design elements of the Karnak Temple Complex –

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Terminologies in Egyptian Architecture

Terminologies in Egyptian Architecture

List of terms covering in this hub are. Mastaba, Stepped pyramid, Obelisks , Serdab, Battered Walls, Pylon towers, Propylon , Pyramids, Covetto , Cornices, Lotus , papyrus palm and other capitals , Hathor headed, Osirian column , Hypostyle halls, courts, vast processional axes ( Dromos) , Sphinx, Syrinx , Uraeus, Hieroglyphs, Pyramidia, Trabeation, Stylobates, Stelae, Mammisis, Benben, Pyramidion, Egyptian sun temples, Sarcophagus, False door The ancient Egyptians built pyramids as tombs for thepharaohs and their queens.

10 Fascinating Egyptian Structures That Aren’t Pyramids

10 Fascinating Egyptian Structures That Aren't Pyramids - Listverse

Travel Home to one of the world's most famous civilizations, Egypt is a country filled to the brim with historical significance. However, when people explore ancient Egyptian history, they usually stop at the pyramids. But other remnants of the culture have survived, giving us new insight into how the ancient Egyptians lived.

The Seven Provincial Pyramids Egypt

 

Archaeologists working near the ancient settlement of Edfu in southern Egypt have uncovered a step pyramid that dates back about 4,600 years. It predates the Great Pyramid at Giza by at least a few decades and was constructed by either Huni or Snefru, both pharaohs of Egypt. The newly uncovered pyramid contains no chambers and no evidence that it was originally intended for burial. It rose as high as 43 feet when it was first built but now rises only about 16 feet because of weathering and the pillaging of some of its stone blocks. This image shows excavations occurring at the pyramid’s eastern face during the 2011 season.

In southern Egypt around the ancient settlement of Edfu, archaeologists discovered a step pyramid decades older than the Great Pyramid of Giza. At 4,600 years old, this three-step pyramid belongs to a group of seven “provincial pyramids” constructed of sandstone blocks and clay mortar in various areas of southern and central Egypt. It’s unknown which pharaoh built them, although the possibilities have been narrowed to Huni or Snefru. The Edfu pyramid stands only 5 meters (16 ft) high today, although it was once about 13 meters (43 ft) high. It’s believed that a combination of pillaging and destructive weather reduced its dimensions. Including the one at Edfu, six of the seven pyramids are nearly identical in size.

“The similarities from one pyramid to the other are really amazing, and there is definitely a common plan,” said Gregory Marouard, who spearheaded the work at Edfu. However, no one knows why these pyramids were built. They don’t contain internal chambers, so they weren’t meant to be used as tombs. Archaeologists have found inscriptions by the remains of children buried at the foot of the Edfu pyramid. But they believe the burials and associated inscriptions occurred well after the pyramid was constructed. That leads researchers to believe that the pyramid may have been a symbolic monument attesting to the Pharaoh's power, a belief bolstered by the discovery of an installation for food offerings on one side of the pyramid.

Medinet Habu (Djemet)

A site on the western shore of the Nile at THEBES, once called Djemet, serving as a necropolis and monument depository. HATSHEPSUT (r. 1473–1458 B.C.E.) and TUTHMOSIS III (1479–1425 B.C.E.) erected a temple honoring the god AMUN at Medinet Habu. The dominating monument, however, is a fortified temple complex erected by RAMESSES III (1194–1163 B.C.E.), one of the most completely preserved shrines in Egypt. This temple is surrounded by a wall, complete with guardhouses and gateways, one fortified, and containing Ramessid reliefs. Other scenes and icons incorporated into the temple are valuable historical texts of the era.

Called a MIGDOL, or Syrian-style fortress, Ramesses III’s monument at Medinet Habu depicts Egypt’s defeat of the SEA PEOPLES of the time. A pylon and pavilion gate open onto a courtyard with pillars. The royal residence was attached to this enclosure, which leads to a second court and a pillared complex containing a treasury and sanctuaries for the barks of Ramesses III and the gods Amun, KHONS (1), MONTU, and MUT. Two statues of the goddess SEKHMET guard the entrance. There is also a WINDOW OF APPEARANCE in this area, as well as a chapel honoring the ENNEAD and chapels of the gods RÉ, PTAH, SOKAR, and the deified Ramesses III. Other pylons and courts, and a SACRED LAKE, lead to vestibules and an elaborate HYPOSTYLE HALL. The sanctuary connected to this hall has a FALSE DOOR depicting Ramesses III as the deity Amun-Ré. A stairway leads to the roof, where solar ceremonies were conducted, and Osiride statues of Ramesses III grace some areas.

The original temple foundation dating to the Eighteenth Dynasty was actually started by TUTHMOSIS I (r. 1504–1492 B.C.E.) and was called “Splendor of the West” or “Amun is Splendid in Thrones.” Hatshepsut directed much of the construction of the temple, but the dedication and opening of the site dates to the reign of Tuthmosis III. Four additional chapels in the complex were added during the Twenty-fifth (712–657 B.C.E.) and Twenty-sixth (664–525 B.C.E.) Dynasties. The mortuary cult of the GOD’S WIFE OF AMUN, or Divine Adoratrices of Amun, was also displayed in the complex. A columned forecourt honoring the Divine Adoratrice AMENIRDIS (1), a daughter of KASHTA (770–750 B.C.E.), and her burial site are part of the complex. The chapel of the Divine Adoratrices NITOCRIS (2) and SHEPENWEPET (1) are also in Medinet Habu.

The royal residence attached to the fortress was made out of mud brick and was decorated with stones and glazed tiles. Private apartments, vestibules, double staircases, and columned halls adjoined barracks, magazines, and workshops. The rulers of later historical periods refurbished and maintained Medinet Habu. In some troubled periods, the people of Thebes moved into the complex and kept it fortified and secure.

Sphinx-lined alley hints at wealth of Egypt's lost empires

The ancient path that Egyptian worshippers and Roman provincials once trod as they crossed between the temples of Luxor and Karnak will be opened to tourists next month, officials announced on Wednesday.

Surrounded by urban sprawl, the sphinx-lined Kabash path in Luxor testifies to the astonishing affluence of an ancient king and later empires that perished long ago but left striking traces of their remote civilisation.

Excavation work on the 2.7 kilometre (1.7 mile) road, which for centuries was covered in sand and buildings, began three years ago.

Archaeologists are now closer to uncovering the entire road that ancient Egyptians promenaded along once a year with the statues of Amun and Mut in a symbolic re-enactment of the deities' marriage.

The fabulously wealthy Pharaoh Amenhotep III, who ruled about 3,400 years ago, built the road during a halcyon era of ancient Egypt to connect the vast Karnak temple in ancient Thebes to the Luxor Temple.

Sphinxes were built on either side of the road, alongside chapels stocked with offerings for the deities.

Touring the uncovered parts of the alley, Egyptian Culture Minister Faruq Hosni said workers had discovered 650 sphinx statues.

Some 1,350 statues are once thought to have flanked the path, and workers have found remnants strewn all along the way.

Zahi Hawass, who heads the Supreme Council of Antiquities, said the alley was 2,700 metres (yards) long and 76 metres wide. Pharaohs who succeeded Amenhotep III, most notably Ramses the Great, added work along the road.

"We found the road in its final state, after Pharaoh Nectanebo I (380-363 BC) had built along it," he said.

Nectanebo founded the last dynasty of Egypt's ancient kings, and ruled over a declining nation harried by the expanding Persian Empire.

"Work is underway to restore it to how it was during the days of the pharaohs and to open it to tourists," Hawass said, adding that the opening on March 3 will be attended by President Hosni Mubarak.

’Amarna, el- (Akhetaten, Tell el-’Armana)

AMARNA: A 3d Reconstruction of an 18th dynasty Egyptian city for animated use
By Paul S. Docherty

The Arabic name of the site that served as the capital, Akhetaten, “The Horizon of ATEN,” it was built by AKHENATEN (Amenhotep IV of the Eighteenth Dynasty, r. 1353–1335 B.C.E.) as his capital and destroyed by HOREMHAB a few decades later. Erected on a level plain between the Nile and the eastern cliffs north of Assiut, ’Amarna was six miles long and marked by boundary stelae. The districts of the city were well planned and laid out with geometric precision and artistry. All of the regions of ’Amarna were designed to focus on the royal residence and on the temple of the god Aten.

Officials and courtiers lived in the principal districts, and the homes provided for them were large and lavish. Most contained gardens, pools, and summer villas, as well as reception areas. The temple and the palace were located on the royal avenue, designed to run parallel to the Nile. This thoroughfare was spanned by an immense brick bridge, which was not only a startling architectural innovation but achieved an artistic unity that became the hallmark of the god’s abode. The bridge joined two separate wings of the royal residence and contained the famed WINDOW OF APPEARANCE, which was discovered in reliefs of the area. Akhenaten and NEFERTITI greeted the faithful of the city in the window and honored officials, military leaders, and artisans, forming an appealing portrait of regal splendor in this setting.

The palace did not serve as a royal residence but as a site for rituals and ceremonies. The royal family occupied limited space in separate apartments. The remaining parts of the structure were designed as altar sites, halls, stables, gardens, pools, throne rooms, and ceremonial chambers. The entire palace was decorated with painting in the ’Amarna style. Waterfowl and marsh scenes graced the walls, adding a natural pastoral quality to the residence. The main throne room for official ceremonies in honor of Aten was set between pillared chambers and halls, one with 30 rows of 17 pillars each. Adjacent to the palace was the temple of the god. This site had a rectangular wall that measured 2,600 by 900 feet. The temple, as many of the structures in ’Amarna, was adapted to the Nile climate and designed for outdoor services. There were few roofs evident in the architectural planning of the complexes. The homes of the ’Amarna artisans were in the southeast section of the city, surrounded by another wall. Six blocks of such residences were laid out in this area, between five parallel streets.

Akhetaten, also called “the City of the SOLAR DISK,” is supposedly named ’Amarna or Tell el-’Amarna today to commemorate a tribe of Bedouins that settled on the site approximately two centuries ago. A vast cliff cemetery was established nearby linked to ’Amarna by the ROYAL WADI.

Buhen

This was a site between the second and first cataract of the Nile near WADI HALFA, settled as an outpost as early as the Second Dynasty (2770–2649 B.C.E.). This era was marked by fortifications and served as a boundary of Egypt and NUBIA (modern Sudan) in certain eras. The New Kingdom (1550–1070 B.C.E.) pharaohs built extensively at Buhen. A Middle Kingdom (2040–1640 B.C.E.) FORTRESS was also discovered on the site, with outer walls for defense, bastions, and two interior temples, following the normal pattern for such military structures in Egypt. HATSHEPSUT, the Queen- Pharaoh (r. 1473–1458 B.C.E.), constructed a temple in the southern part of Buhen, with a five-chambered sanctuary, surrounded by a colonnade. TUTHMOSIS III (r. 1479–1425 B.C.E.) renovated the temple, enclosing a complex and adding porticos.

The actual fortress of Buhen was an elaborate structure, built partly out of rock with brick additions. The fort was set back from the river, giving way to a rocky slope. These walls supported external buttresses, which were designed to turn south and east to the Nile. A ditch was added for defense, carved out of rock and having deep sides that sloped considerably and were smoothed to deter scaling attempts. A gateway in the south wall opened onto an interior military compound, which also contained the original temples. AMENHOTEP II (r. 1427–1391 B.C.E.) is credited with one shrine erected there.

The fortress of Mirgissa

Mirgissa, the outer northern gate. The fortress of Mirgissa, situated on the western bank of the Nile, c. 16km (10 miles) south of Buhen, is renowned for its impressive outer northern gate. Military architects were well aware that, as the weakest spot within the defence, the gate area had to be highly fortified in order to withstand possible attacks.

In the Middle Kingdom Egypt controlled the Second Cataract as far south as Semna. There it built forts. In fact, under Sesostris I (1964-1916 BC), the forts of Buhen and Kor (on the left bank of the Nile downstream from the Second Cataract) are probably economic units.  The location of Kor at the end of the rapids of the Great Cataract is of an outpost controlling the sending of goods towards Egypt.

His successor, Amenemhat II (1919-1881 B.C.) constructs, upriver from the cataracts, the fortress of Mirgissa, counterpoint of Kor. It controls the river navigation coming from the south.

During the Second Intermediate Period, it is occupied by a Kerma garrison and during the New Kingdom once more by Egyptians. A children's cemetery of the Napatan period and the remains of a Christian building suggest continuity of occupation.

The fort was partially studied by an American team in 1931-1932. Jean Vercoutter took up the excavations when Egypt was authorised by

Sudan to construct the Aswan High Dam. The remains of Pharaonic presence are impressive:

-   A fortress, a fortified town, an open town, cemeteries, a quay, a small fort and a ramp that allows for the pulling of boats or their cargoes overland from one end to the other of the rapids that block the river in this area.

-  The location of Mirgissa is mirrored by the presence of a natural harbour bordered by a natural plain.

-  On an island opposite the fort of Dabenarti dates to the same period. It gives strategic importance to the complex.

According to Francis Geus, who has worked at Mirgissa, this excavation was the most colossal enterprise undertaken by Jean Vercoutter. It runs over more than 2.5 km along the Nile in an essentially rocky environment. To his surprise, the archaeologist discovered in a small sanctuary dedicated to Hathor, ‘mistress of Iu-ka-na', that the famous port of Iken in the Egyptian texts, is no other than the fortress of Mirgissa. The excavations unearthed an impressive number of weapons: lances and javelins with flint heads (some 400) imported from Egypt. The shafts had been devoured by termites but left impressions in the soil.

The fort of Semna South is probably built to protect the fort-depot of Mirgissa.

Faced with the growing power of the kingdom of Kerma, Sesostris III (1872-1854 B.C.) erects in the 8th year of his reign a stela at Semna south, at the extremity of the Batn el-Haggar to mark a zone of influence of the Egyptian territory and so as to impede that any Nubian crossing the frontier, be it by land or in a boat, except those that come to trade at Iken (Mirgissa). After 10 years of reign, he installed his camp at Sai. Six years later, he reinforced the Batn el-Haggar and two other stelae are erected at Semna West and at Uronarti. In the texts, he employs threat and disdain to dissuade any Kushite from taking up arms.

The forts of Semna West, Kumna and Uronarti are completed by a line of exceptional defence with Faras, Shelfak and Askut.

The fortifications of Buhen and Kor were enlarged. The fortresses of Sesostris III are less important but better adapted to a military strategy. The control of this ‘Maginot line' is undoubtedly carried out from Buhen.

The fortresses stand along the river at strategic locations. They carry aggressive names, for example ‘the one that reduces foreign lands'. They embrace the lie of the land, a half-circle at Askut, a triangle at Uronarti. Their size is impressive. Buhen has been calculated to cover 27 000 sq m., Mirgissa is larger still.  It contains official buildings as well as small houses. The excavations have confirmed the presence of granaries, indispensable to an independent life. As for the religious domain, the texts mention the presence of a clergy.

Outside the circuit wall, ateliers form industrial areas. A port completed the infrastructure of the fortresses with storehouses, some of which have been identified at Kor, Askut, Uronarti and at Mirgissa.

It is not until the XVIII Dynasty that the fortresses are once more used without defensive purposes, as in the Middle Kingdom.

From Buhen to Abu Simbel, the Egyptian settlements bordered the Nile: Argin, Debeira West, Akasha, Serra East and West, Faras East and West.

With the creation of the reservoir, most of the constructions in mud brick have been dissolved. Many were almost four thousand years old.

Art and Architecture

A gigantic effigy, one of four 67-foot-high statues of Ramses II, looks out over the River Nile at Abu Simbel. The figures at the bottom represent a few members of the immediate royal family.

With spectacular suddenness, an architecture sprang up that was suitable for kings and gods. Within a century after the first pharaoh of the Old Kingdom mounted his throne, Egyptian builders had graduated from sun-baked bricks to highly sophisticated construction in stone, and their artisans were among the earliest to master this difficult technique. The same omnipotent authority that drafted mass labour for irrigation was able to recruit unlimited sinew to quarry and dress enormous blocks, and to transport them to sites beside the Nile. Within a brief span of 200 years or so, Egypt's builders had so mastered the new material that they had finished the pyramids at Gizeh, wonders of the ancient world and the mightiest royal sepulchres of all time. In succeeding centuries, Egyptian architects flanked the river from the Delta, near the Mediterranean, to lower Nubia, about 800 miles south, with stone monuments that rank with the most impressive of any age.

Art kept pace with architecture. From prehistoric days, craftsmen of the Nile had displayed a sense of beauty and symmetry that touched even the most utilitarian objects—flint knives, stone or pottery household vessels, pins and combs of bone or shell. With the advent of the pharaohs, this aesthetic quality flowered into a mature art, distinctively Egyptian in concept and character. For the next 3,000 years, Egypt produced a graceful and spirited art (that served, among other things, to inspire the great Greek sculptors and artists who followed them centuries later).

Sculptors carved colossal images of impassive gods or rulers in stone, and also fashioned life-sized portraits in stone, wood and copper. Painters added vivid pigments to the works of the sculptors —and also covered temple walls with stately official and religious scenes, and decorated palaces and tombs with animated frescoes. The important buildings of the ancient Egyptians were brilliant with colour.

Travellers from abroad who reached the Valley of the Nile long after its civilization had passed its zenith saw the Egyptians as mysterious, unfathomable. Later ages, drawing conclusions from silent tombs and gigantic monuments, speculated that they must have been a gloomy, oppressed people, preoccupied by thoughts of death and forever hauling huge blocks under the cutting whip of the overseer.

It was, we know now, a totally false picture. Far from being morbid or downtrodden, the Egyptians were sociable and light-hearted, and among the most industrious of ancient peoples. Enamoured of life on earth, they envisaged death merely as its happy continuance.

And life, on the whole, was good in Egypt under the pharaohs. On occasion it was upset by war, political unrest or famine, but in normal times its course flowed serenely. The lot of the peasantry, though hard, was not without its compensations. An Egyptian peasant certainly knew more security and had fewer worries than his counterpart in lands periodically laid waste by conquerors. It is true that his day was spent toiling in another man's fields. But the soil he served provided him and his family with sustenance, though it was usually frugal, and the river was liberal with its fish. During the months when the Nile flood made the fields untillable, he might have been drafted for labour in the quarries or on one of the pharaoh's projects. On the other hand, flood-time was festival time, when all work paused long enough for him to join in celebrating great religious feasts.

From his humble mud-brick home beside the Nile, the peasant might look across the river, busy with its traffic of boats and barges, to where workmen swarmed about some half-completed edifice. Most of the workers—the masons, carpenters and minor artisans—lived as simply and frugally as the peasants did. The sculptors, painters, cabinet makers and other specialists who would add a temple's finishing touches knew a higher standard of living, in prosperous times at least. Their dwellings, like those of the middle-class government bureaucracy, might rise to two storeys and embrace a small garden.

Karnak

This is the modern name for an ancient religious complex erected at THEBES in Upper Egypt. Called Nesut-Tawi, “the Throne of the Two Lands,” or Ipet-Iset, “The Finest of Seats,” it was the site of the temple of the god AMUN at Thebes. Karnak remains the most remarkable religious complex constructed on earth. Its 250 acres of temples and chapels, obelisks, columns, and statues, built during a period of 2,000 years, incorporate the finest aspects of Egyptian art and architecture and transformed the original small shrines into “a great historical monument of stone.”

Karnak was originally the site of a shrine erected in the Middle Kingdom (2040–1640 B.C.E.), but many rulers of the New Kingdom (1550–1070 B.C.E.) repaired or refurbished the structure. It was designed in three sections. The first one extended from the northwest to the southwest, with the second part at right angles to the original shrine. The third section was added by later rulers and completed the complex.

The plan of the temple dedicated to the god Amun, evident even in its ruined state, contained a series of well-coordinated structures and architectural innovations, all designed to maximize the strength of the stone and the monumental aspects of the complex. Karnak, as all other major temples of Egypt, was graced with a ramp and a canal leading to the Nile, and this shrine also boasted rows of ram-headed sphinxes at its entrance. At one time the sphinxes joined Karnak and another temple of the god at LUXOR, to the south.

The entrance to Karnak is a gigantic PYLON, 370 feet wide, which opens onto a court and to a number of architectural features. The temple compound of RAMESSES III (r. 1194–1163 B.C.E.) of the Twentieth Dynasty is located here, complete with stations of the gods, daises, and small buildings to offer hospitable rest to statues or barks of the various deities visiting the premises. The pylon entrance, unfinished, dates to a period after the fall of the New Kingdom. Just inside this pylon is a three-chambered shrine erected by SETI I (r. 1306–1290 B.C.E.) of the Nineteenth Dynasty for the barks of the gods Amun, MUT and KHONS (1).

The shrine of Ramesses III of the Twentieth Dynasty is actually a miniature festival hall, complete with pillars and elaborate reliefs. The so-called BUBASTITE PORTAL, built in the Third Intermediate Period, is next to the shrine. The court of Ramesses III was eventually completed by the addition of a colonnade, and a portico was installed by HOREMHAB (r. 1319–1307 B.C.E.), the last ruler of the Eighteenth Dynasty.

The second pylon in the structure, probably dating to the same dynastic era and refurbished by the pharaohs of the Nineteenth Dynasty, is graced by two colossi of RAMESSES II (r. 1290–1224 B.C.E.), and a third statue of that king and his queen-consort stands nearby. This second pylon leads to a great HYPOSTYLE HALL, the work of Seti I and Ramesses II, where 134 center columns are surrounded by more than 120 papyrus bundle type pillars. Stone slabs served as the roof, with carved stone windows allowing light to penetrate the area. The Ramessid rulers decorated this hall with elaborate reliefs. At one time there were many statues in the area as well, all removed or lost now. Of particular interest are the reliefs discovered in this hall of the “Poem of PENTAUR,” concerning military campaigns and cultic ceremonies of Egypt during its imperial period. The HITTITE ALLIANCE is part of the decorative reliefs.

The third pylon of Karnak was erected by AMENHOTEP III (r. 1391–1353 B.C.E.) of the Eighteenth Dynasty. The porch in front of the pylon was decorated by Seti I and Ramesses II. At one time four OBELISKS stood beside this massive gateway. One remains, dating to the reigns of TUTHMOSIS I (1504–1492 B.C.E.) and TUTHMOSIS III (1479–1425 B.C.E.) of the Eighteenth Dynasty. A small area between the third and fourth pylons leads to precincts dedicated to lesser deities. The fourth pylon, erected by Tuthmosis I, opens into a court with Osiride statues and an obelisk erected by HATSHEPSUT (r. 1473–1458 B.C.E.). Originally part of a pair, the obelisk now stands alone. The second was discovered lying on its side near the sacred lake of the temple complex. Tuthmosis I also erected the fifth pylon, followed by the sixth such gateway, built by Tuthmosis III.

These open onto a courtyard, a Middle Kingdom (2040–1640 B.C.E.) sanctuary, the Djeseru-djeseru, the holy of holies. Statues and symbolic insignias mark this as the core of the temple. The sanctuary now visible was built in a late period, replacing the original one. A unique feature of this part of Karnak is the sandstone structure designed by Hatshepsut. She occupied these chambers on occasion and provided the walls with reliefs. Tuthmosis III added a protective outer wall, which was inscribed with the “annals” of his military campaigns. This is the oldest part of Karnak, and much of it has been destroyed. The memorial chapel of Tuthmosis III is located just behind the court and contains chambers, halls, magazines, and shrines. A special chapel of Amun is part of this complex, and the walls of the area are covered with elaborate reliefs that depict exotic plants and animals, duplicates in stone of the flora and fauna that Tuthmosis III came upon in his Syrian and Palestinian military campaigns and called “the Botanical Garden.”

A number of lesser shrines were originally built beyond the limits of the sanctuary, dedicated to PTAH, OSIRIS, KHONS (1), and other deities. To the south of the sixth pylon was the sacred lake, where the barks of the god floated during festivals. A seventh pylon, built by Tuthmosis III, opened onto a court, which has yielded vast amounts of statues and other relics from the New Kingdom. Three more pylons complete the structure at this stage, all on the north–south axis. Some of these pylons were built by Horemhab, who used materials from AKHENATEN’S destroyed temple complex at ’AMARNA. A shrine for Khons dominates this section, alongside other monuments from later eras. A lovely temple built by SENWOSRET I (r. 1971–1926 B.C.E.) of the Twelfth Dynasty was discovered hidden in Karnak and has been restored. A shrine for the goddess Mut, having its own lake, is also of interest.

Karnak represents faith on a monumental scale. Each dynasty of Egypt made additions or repairs to the structures, giving evidence of the Egyptians’ fidelity to their beliefs. Karnak remains as a mysterious enticement to the world of ancient Egypt. One Karnak inscription, discovered on the site, is a large granite stela giving an account of the building plans of the kings of the Eighteenth Dynasty. A second stela records work being done on the Ptah shrine in the enclosure of the temple of Amun.

The Karnak obelisks vary in age and some are no longer on the site, having been moved to distant capitals. Those that remain provide insight into the massive quarrying operations conducted by the Egyptians during the New Kingdom (1550–1070 B.C.E.). The Karnak pylon inscriptions include details about the New Kingdom and later eras and provide scholars with information concerning the rituals and religious practices as well as the military campaigns of the warrior kings of that period.

A Karnak stela, a record of the gifts given to Karnak by ’AHMOSE (r. 1550–1525 B.C.E.), presumably in thanksgiving for a victory in the war to oust the Asiatics, is a list of costly materials. ’Ahmose provided the god Amun with golden caplets, lapis lazuli, gold and silver vases, tables, necklaces, plates of gold and silver, ebony harps, a gold and silver sacred bark, and other offerings. The Karnak King List, discovered in the temple site, is a list made by Tuthmosis III. The document contains the names of more than 60 of ancient Egypt’s rulers, not placed in chronological order.

Suggested Readings: Amer, Amin. The Gateway of Ramesses IX in the Temple of Amun at Karnak. New York: Aris & Phillips, 1999; De Lubicz, Schwaller. The Temples of Karnak: A Contribution to the Study of Pharaonic Thought. Rochester, Vt.: Inner Traditions, 1999; Road to Kadesh: a Historical Interpretation of the Battle Reliefs of King Sety I at Karnak. Chicago: Oriental Inst., 1990.