Where is karnak located

This reconstruction is somewhat hypothetical as little of the temple remains today. Karnak would remain a modest precinct up until the New Kingdom, a time period that ran from roughly to B. Functioning as gateways of sorts, these pylons were connected to each other through a network of walls. They were often decorated with scenes depicting the ruler who built them and many of them also had flag-staffs from which colorful banners would be flown.

At Karnak the pylons start near the main sanctuary and go in two directions. One set of six pylons faces west towards the Nile River and ends in an entrance lined with an avenue of small sphinxes. Another set of four pylons faces south along a processional route used for ceremonies.

The heb-sed festival generally took place 30 years after a king came to the throne and then every three years afterwards. Hatshepsut was a female pharaoh of Egypt who reigned from roughly to B. His legacy at Karnak was not all destructive as he ordered construction of the Ahkmenu, a pillared structure built on the east side of the central sanctuary. Note: Some businesses may be temporarily closed due to recent global health and safety issues.

Avenue of Sphinxes. You enter the complex through a grand processional way, flanked on both sides by ram-headed sphinxes. These once ran all the way to Karnak from Luxor Temple in downtown modern Luxor , as the triumphant three-kilometer-long thoroughfare connecting the two temples.

In recent years, excavation work in downtown Luxor has uncovered large sections of this original processional way, though the section leading to the entrance to the Karnak complex remains the most impressive.

Great Temple of Amun. The Great Temple of Amun is Karnak's main temple building , and like nearly all of Egypt's surviving monuments, the temple has seen additions and improvements by the hands of many pharaohs over the centuries.

The shape of the temple you see before you now is mostly due to Pharaoh Tuthmosis I, who made Thebes capital of the New Kingdom and expanded the original modest temple here, as it no longer seemed adequate to the power of the god and the pharaoh. Most of your time in Karnak will be spent inside this awe-inspiring building , but don't make the mistake of thinking this is all the Karnak complex has to offer. Kiosk of Sesostris. Built of fine limestone, it was erected to commemorate Pharaoh Sesostris I's jubilee.

Sesostris is only one of the common anglicizations of this pharaoh's name, and you'll also see this building referred to as the kiosk or white chapel of Senusret I. The kiosk stands on a substructure and is approached by ramps on the east and west sides. The roof is borne on 24 pillars, which, like the outer walls, are covered with reliefs of excellent quality.

Temple of Ptah. It sits snug against the Karnak complex's northern boundary wall. The temple is approached from the west through five successive gateways. Beyond this is a passage formed by four columns with rich foliage capitals, linked by screens.

At the end of the passage is a small Pylon with the names of Tuthmosis III restored in the Ptolemaic period on the doorway. The entrance passage leads into a Court, on the rear side of which is a portico with two sided columns. In the walls are six niches, and a staircase leads to an upper story.

In the center of the court, a door leads into the temple's sanctuary. Here, on the doorway, you can see restored reliefs dating from the reign of Tuthmosis III, while the Sanctuary preserves original reliefs of that period.

In the Sanctuary is the cult image of Ptah now headless , which is lit, with magical effect, by an aperture in the roof. To the right is a room containing a statue of the lion-headed goddess Sekhmet, and to the left, another room with reliefs of Tuthmosis III. From the small Temple of Ptah, a gateway in the north enclosure wall gives access to the Northern Temple Precinct surrounded by a brick wall. In the enclosure wall to the south of the temple is a gateway with the name of Nectanebo II and the remains of a list of the people he subdued.

Temple of Montu. It was built by Amenophis III 18th Dynasty , but was several times altered and enlarged down to the period of the Ptolemies. The temple is so badly ruined that it is difficult to even make out the ground plan, but the older fragments of sculpture and architectural elements display a high standard of artistic skill.

Outside the north entrance stood two obelisks of red granite, of which the bases and some fragments still remain. Luxor, Egypt. Site History and Significance The Karnak temple complex at Luxor developed over more than 1, years, principally between the Twelfth and Twentieth Dynasties.

Why It Matters The Karnak Temple is a massive temple complex to which dozens of pharaohs added their own constructions. Related Projects. Completed Project. Pharaoh emerged from the temple, his priests carrying the barque on their shoulders, and together they moved into the crowded streets.

A troop of Nubian soldiers serving as guards beat their drums, and musicians accompanied the priests in song as incense filled the air. When he finally emerged from the temple sanctuary, the vast crowds cheered him and celebrated the guaranteed fertility of the earth and the expectation of abundant harvests.

During the festival the people were given over loaves of bread and more than jars of beer, and some were allowed into the temple to ask questions of the god. The priests spoke the answers through a concealed window high up in the wall, or from inside hollow statues.

First pylon The first pylon was built by the Ethiopian kings BC. Read More.