Ram Sphinxes, Karnak
One of the grandest and most rewarding monuments of the ancient world, the Temple of Amun at Karnak simply cannot fail to impress with its grandeur. It is a vast complex of buildings over three main precincts, the greatest of which is that of Amun with the enormous great temple at its heart. This is the main draw for all visitors to Karnak, with its avenue of sphinxes, huge courtyards and incomparable pillared hypostyle hall. It is not only one of Egypt's most important monuments but simply one of the greatest ancient sites anywhere.
The great temple of Amun dominates the complex and is the work of successive dynasties throughout the New Kingdom, at which point the local god Amun had been established as the state god of Egypt (his name means 'the hidden one', as he only rose to prominence relatively late in Egyptian history, largely connected to the rising importance of Thebes as the centre of power, thus its local god rose with it). Some of the earliest parts at the east end date to the reign of Thutmoses I with successive sections added by other 18th & 19th Dynasty rulers, with great obelisks erected by Hatshepsut and much of the Hypostyle Hall and pylons built under Seti I and his son Ramesses II. The first courtyard and the main pylon were the latest additions to the temple under the reign of Nectanebo I and were never fully finished.
The temple is approached through and avenue of large ram-headed sphinxes, each protecting a small pharoah figure between their paws, representing the god Amun (whose sacred animal was the ram) protecting the king. These statues are usually identified as dating to the reign of Ramesses II, but it is possible they may date further back to Amenophis III. Originally this avenue stretched all the way through what is now the first courtyard to the 2nd pylon and hypostyle hall, but after construction of the 1st pylon and courtyard those beyond the new facade were stored in rows either side of the new courtyard beyond the entrance pylon.
The main facade is formed by the towering 1st pylon built under Nectanebo I and never finished, the stonework is still rough-hewn and lacking in decoration and the northern tower remains somewhat shorter than its southern neighbour. The southerrn tower has at its rear the remains of a mud-brick ramp used during construction. The courtyard beyond is vast and dotted with pillars and statues from various earlier stages in the growth of Karnak, including a towering column from a pavilion built by Nubian Pharoah Taharqa, two colossi of Ramesses II (one usurped later by Pinedjem) and more of the ram-sphinxes that once lined the approach.
Beyond the courtyard is the more ruinous 2nd pylon which leads to the most famous part of the Karnak Temple complex, the incredible Hypostyle Hall, sometimes called the 'Hall of a Hundred Columns' owing to the great multitude of thick, round columns in every direction, like a forest of enormous tree-trunks in stone. There are 134 columns in all in 16 rows, the central axis columns being taller with palm-capitals, whilst the rows either side of this carried a clerestorey of stone-latticed windows, many of which survive (originally these would have been the main light source when the hall had its roof). The decoration on the columns and side walls dates mostly to the reign of Ramesses II and is in sunken relief, but some earlier work from Seti I's reign in raised-relief can be seen on the north side.
Continuing along the main eastern axis the great temple becomes more ruinous and harder to follow, but several major features stand out such as the obelisk of Hatshepsut and the much later barque shrine, whilst some distance beyond the festival hall of Thutmosis III, a pillared structure that represents the most substantial remaining part of the eastern sections of the temple and retains some coloured decoration inside.
In addition to the main eastern axis of the temple there is the southern axis that is formed of four courtyards and further pylon towers and gates which extend towards the precinct of Amun's consort Mut (a much more ruined site reached by equally ruined sphinx avenues to the south, one of which also connects with that leading to Luxor Temple a mile or so further on).. These sections of the complex are mostly closed to visitors at present with stabilisation works ongoing.
There are further smaller temples and areas of great interest around the huge Karnak site, which we have visited on a previous trip (we once spent an entire day here in the pre-digital 1990s), but sadly time was limited on this occasion to focusing on the major sections of the great temple itself, so we hope to return to spend longer here another time.
Ram Sphinxes, Karnak
One of the grandest and most rewarding monuments of the ancient world, the Temple of Amun at Karnak simply cannot fail to impress with its grandeur. It is a vast complex of buildings over three main precincts, the greatest of which is that of Amun with the enormous great temple at its heart. This is the main draw for all visitors to Karnak, with its avenue of sphinxes, huge courtyards and incomparable pillared hypostyle hall. It is not only one of Egypt's most important monuments but simply one of the greatest ancient sites anywhere.
The great temple of Amun dominates the complex and is the work of successive dynasties throughout the New Kingdom, at which point the local god Amun had been established as the state god of Egypt (his name means 'the hidden one', as he only rose to prominence relatively late in Egyptian history, largely connected to the rising importance of Thebes as the centre of power, thus its local god rose with it). Some of the earliest parts at the east end date to the reign of Thutmoses I with successive sections added by other 18th & 19th Dynasty rulers, with great obelisks erected by Hatshepsut and much of the Hypostyle Hall and pylons built under Seti I and his son Ramesses II. The first courtyard and the main pylon were the latest additions to the temple under the reign of Nectanebo I and were never fully finished.
The temple is approached through and avenue of large ram-headed sphinxes, each protecting a small pharoah figure between their paws, representing the god Amun (whose sacred animal was the ram) protecting the king. These statues are usually identified as dating to the reign of Ramesses II, but it is possible they may date further back to Amenophis III. Originally this avenue stretched all the way through what is now the first courtyard to the 2nd pylon and hypostyle hall, but after construction of the 1st pylon and courtyard those beyond the new facade were stored in rows either side of the new courtyard beyond the entrance pylon.
The main facade is formed by the towering 1st pylon built under Nectanebo I and never finished, the stonework is still rough-hewn and lacking in decoration and the northern tower remains somewhat shorter than its southern neighbour. The southerrn tower has at its rear the remains of a mud-brick ramp used during construction. The courtyard beyond is vast and dotted with pillars and statues from various earlier stages in the growth of Karnak, including a towering column from a pavilion built by Nubian Pharoah Taharqa, two colossi of Ramesses II (one usurped later by Pinedjem) and more of the ram-sphinxes that once lined the approach.
Beyond the courtyard is the more ruinous 2nd pylon which leads to the most famous part of the Karnak Temple complex, the incredible Hypostyle Hall, sometimes called the 'Hall of a Hundred Columns' owing to the great multitude of thick, round columns in every direction, like a forest of enormous tree-trunks in stone. There are 134 columns in all in 16 rows, the central axis columns being taller with palm-capitals, whilst the rows either side of this carried a clerestorey of stone-latticed windows, many of which survive (originally these would have been the main light source when the hall had its roof). The decoration on the columns and side walls dates mostly to the reign of Ramesses II and is in sunken relief, but some earlier work from Seti I's reign in raised-relief can be seen on the north side.
Continuing along the main eastern axis the great temple becomes more ruinous and harder to follow, but several major features stand out such as the obelisk of Hatshepsut and the much later barque shrine, whilst some distance beyond the festival hall of Thutmosis III, a pillared structure that represents the most substantial remaining part of the eastern sections of the temple and retains some coloured decoration inside.
In addition to the main eastern axis of the temple there is the southern axis that is formed of four courtyards and further pylon towers and gates which extend towards the precinct of Amun's consort Mut (a much more ruined site reached by equally ruined sphinx avenues to the south, one of which also connects with that leading to Luxor Temple a mile or so further on).. These sections of the complex are mostly closed to visitors at present with stabilisation works ongoing.
There are further smaller temples and areas of great interest around the huge Karnak site, which we have visited on a previous trip (we once spent an entire day here in the pre-digital 1990s), but sadly time was limited on this occasion to focusing on the major sections of the great temple itself, so we hope to return to spend longer here another time.