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| Visit KarnakTemple in Luxor |
The Karnak Temple
Complex, sometimes referred to as Karnak and originally originated from, is a
massive collection of dilapidated temples, pylons, chapels, and other
structures located close to Luxor, Egypt. Although the majority of the
remaining structures are from the New Kingdom, construction on the complex
started during the reign of Senusret I (reigned 1971–1926 BCE) in the Middle
Kingdom (about 2000–1700 BCE). The area around Karnak was known in ancient
Egypt as Ipet-isut ("The Most Selected of Places") and served as the
focal point of worship for the Amun-headed 18th Dynastic Theban Triad. It is a
piece of the magnificent city of Thebes and was included to the UNESCO World
Heritage List in 1979 together with thewith the god Amun as its head. It is
part of the monumental city of Thebes, and in 1979 it was inscribed on the
UNESCO World Heritage List along with the rest of the city.The Karnak complex
gives its name to the nearby, and partly surrounded, modern village of
El-Karnak, 2.5 kilometres (1.6 miles) north of Luxor.
Karnak Temple is one of the largest temple complexes in the world. This
magnificent Temple has incredibly rich architectural and it was covering about
200 acres (1.5 km by 0.8 km), and was a place of pilgrimage for nearly 2,000
years, was dedicated to the Theban triad of Amun, Mut, and Khonsu.
This great Temple of Amon Ra was known during the
Middle Kingdom period as Ipt-Swt, which means the Selected Spot. It was also
called Pr-Imn, or the House of Amon. The name Al-Karnak in Arabic was derived
from Karnak, which means fortified village.
This superb complex hosting a group of temples and it
has been enlarged over a thirteen hundred years period. The three main temples
of Mut, Montu and Amun are enclosed by enormous brick walls. The Open Air
Museum is located to the north of the first courtyard, across from the Sacred
Lake.
The main complex, The Temple of Amun, is situated in
the center of the entire complex. The Temple of Monthu is to the north of the
Temple of Amun, and next to it, inside of the enclosure wall is the Temple of
Ptah, while the Temple of Mut is to the south.
There is also the small Temple dedicated to Khonsu,
and next to it, an even smaller Temple of Opet. Actually there are a number of
smaller temples and chapels spread about Karnak, such as the Temple of Osiris
Hek-Djet (Heqadjet), which is actually inside the enclosure wall of the Temple
of Amun. , mud brick enclosure wall surrounds all of these buildings, On your
way towards the entrance, you will find a ram-headed avenue of Sphinxes, which
was built to protect the Temple of Karnak, it is comprised of a series of
pylons (monumental gateways which taper towards the top to cornices), leading
into courtyards, halls, and temples. The first pylon opens onto a wide court
which invites the visitor further. The second pylon opens onto the Hypostyle
Court which measures 337 feet (103 meters) by 170 feet (52 meters). The hall is
supported by 134 columns 72 feet (22 meters) tall and 11 feet (3.5 meters)
around in diameter, The Hypostyle Hall leads to The 3rd Pylon, built by
Amenhotep III, Crossing the 3rd Pylon, you come to an open, rectangular court,
which is known as the Court of Tuthmosis I. Tuthmosis I erected 2 obelisks, but
only one obelisk has survived: 19m high and around 310 tons in weight, From the
Court of Tuthmosis, we reach the 4th Pylon, which Tuthmosis I also built, The
5th Pylon, yet again built by Tuthmosis I, is damaged and on both sides of the
entrance, Tuthmosis III built two small rooms, The 6th Pylon, which was built
by Tuthmosis III. Beyond this pylon, Tuthmosis III built his famous hall, the
Ancestral Room. The original Sanctuary was built by Tuthmosis III, but Philip
Arrhidaeus later rebuilt it.
Behind the sanctuary, you will see a court, dating back to the
time of the Middle Kingdom. It is a wide-open courtyard that is badly damaged
now, Most probably this spot was the site of an old Temple, dating back to the
time of the Middle Kingdom: the origin of the Karnak
Temple.
The 7th Pylon, which is badly damaged, was built by
Tuthmosis III.Crossing the 7th Pylon to the court beyond, you will see 2
statues of Ramses II and Tuthmosis III,The 8th Pylon was built by Hatshepsut,
decorated by Tuthmosis III, and restored by Seti I. The scenes on the façade of
the Pylon represent Hatshepsut with different deities, and a religious scene
featuring Tuthmosis III, The 9th Pylon, which was built by Horemheb, is badly
damaged. A large number of bricks were found inside, which were being used as
filling. They belonged to the Aton Temple, Finally, we reach the 10th Pylon,
damaged as well, and again built by King Horemheb. In front of this Pylon,
there are the remains of an avenue of Sphinxes, built by Horemheb, and
extending to the gate of Ptolemy II in front of Mut Temple.
The Egyptians believed that towards the end of annual
agricultural cycle the gods and the earth became exhausted and required a fresh
input of energy from the chaotic energy of the cosmos,To accomplish this
magical regeneration the Opet festival was held yearly at Karnak . It lasted
for twenty-seven days and was also a celebration of the link between pharaoh
and the god Amun. The procession began at Karnak and ended at Luxor Temple,
one and a half miles (2.4 kilometres) to the south.
Everyday the idol of the god Amun was ritualistically
bathed with holy water, dressed in fine linen, and adorned in gold and silver
jewellery.
You have to attend marvelous Sound and Light show at
the Temple of Karnak while you are in luxor
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