Karnak Temple Complex - Luxor
Karnak Temple Complex is about 2 kilometers away from Luxor city on the eastern bank of the River Nile. The complex itself is massive but only parts of it have been to public. It took over more than 1,000 years to build between the Twelfth and Twentieth Dynasties. It was, at its peak, the largest and most important religious complex in ancient Egypt.
Corridor of Sphinxes
Open area exists between the ticket office and the Corridor of Sphinxes. This space is constantly roamed by the annoying sellers who don’t give a second chance to the visitors which are not part of the group.
The Corridor of Sphinxes leads to the First Pylon. There is a small obelisk in front of the Corridor of Sphinxes. These sphinxes are ram-headed, symbolizing the god Amun and a small effigy of Ramesses II, in the form of Osiris, stands between their front paws. This is entrance to the complex and it is laid out on an East/West axis. In the past, this part of the complex once was a quay but now it is all dried up. The Karnak Temple Complex site occupies roughly 250 000 m², containing many structures and monuments.
First Pylon and Column of the Kiosk of Tahraqa
The first pylon is the last to be built at Karnak and is the main entrance into the temple today. It was never completed and is undecorated.
This pylon was built by Nectanebo I (380-362 BC). There are small sphinxes inside the First Court, just behind the First Pylon.
Column of the Kiosk of Tahraqa is seen to the right, just behind this column is the Second Pylon. Taharqa was the fourth king of the Twenty-fifth Dynasty and also king of his native Kush; located in Northern Sudan. The remains of this huge kiosk, built by 25th Dynasty pharaoh Taharqa (690-664 B.C.).
Temple of Ramses III
Ramses III (1184–1153 BC) built a bark shrine south of the second pylon, which was later enclosed by the courtyard constructed by Shoshenq I (943-922 BC). Beyond the court is a vestibule also fronted by Osiride pillars leading into a small hypostyle hall which in turn leads into three chapels for the barques of Karnak. The “holy of holies” in the temple was replaced with three bark shrines, used to house the barks of the gods Amun, Mut and Khonsu.
Second Pylon & Great Hypostyle Hall
The Seond Pylon was built by Horemheb near the end of his reign and only partly decorated by him. The towers have been freed from the ruins of later buildings erected in front of them using stone of the Amarna period.
The Great Hypostyle Hall was begun by Seti I, and completed by Ramesses II – he hall covers an area of 50,000 sq ft (5,000 sq meters). There are 134 gigantic stone columns with 12 larger columns standing 80 feet (24 m) high lining the central aisle. The hall was built by Seti I who inscribed the northern wing. The outer walls depict Seti’s battles. The rear wall of the Great Hypostyle Hall is formed by the Third Pylon, built by Amenophis III. Next to this Great Hall, Third Pylon is in ruins now but once it was a great site to its’ visitors.
Sacred Lake & Obelisks of Karnak Temple Complex
The Sacred Lake was dug by Tuthmosis III (1473-1458 BC) – it measures 393 feet (120m) by 252 feet (77m). This lake was the place where priests purified themselves before performing rituals in the temple.
There are two obelisks on the site, one belongs to Hatshepsut and other to Thutmose III. A broken obelisk of Hatshepsut lies close to the Sacred Lake. In the Central Court beyond the Third Pylon there were formerly four obelisks, two of them set up by Tuthmosis I and two by Tuthmosis II. The Obelisk of Thutmose I is 21.2 m high and weighs nearly 150 tons. The Obelisk of Hatshepsut is nearly 30 m in height.
Hundreds of princes are depicted with hands tied behind their backs and their cartouches on their shields. This is a depiction of the rulers of the cities of Canaan that Thutmose III.
Festival Hall of Thutmose III
Festival Hall of Thutmose III is located at the end of the Middle Kingdom court, with its axis at right-angles to the main east-west axis of the temple. The Great Festival Temple of Tuthmosis III can be accessed by the main doorway at the southwest corner. It was originally built to celebrate the jubilee (Hed-Sed) of Thutmose III. Its walls are covered with amazing drawings of exotic plants and animals brought back to Egypt from Syria by king Thutmose.
Behind the badly ruined sixth pylon, there are two pink granite pillars with relief carvings representing Upper and Lower Egypt. A huge statue of Ramses II sits in the Great Courtyard named after the king himself in Karnak Temple.
The triple shrine of Sety II was built outside of the temple’s western entrance, along the temple’s traditional east/west processional route – the later construction of the temple’s first court by Shoshenq I. Though well preserved but still this site is huge and it requires lots of work to bring back its glory and splendour.
