The Luxor Temple is a large Ancient Egyptian temple complex located on the east bank of the Nile River in the city today known as Luxor (ancient Thebes) and was constructed approximately 1400 BCE. In the Egyptian language it was known as ipet resyt, "the southern sanctuary". It was one of the two primary temples on the east bank, the other being Karnak.

On the right - Great Courtyard of Ramses II

In the middle - Colonnade of Amenhotep III

On the left - Solar Courtyard of Amenhotep III

Karnak is the modern-day name for the ancient site of the Temple of Amun at Thebes, Egypt. The Egyptians called the site Nesut-Towi, "Throne of the Two Lands", Ipet-Iset, "The Finest of Seats" as well as Ipt-Swt, "Selected Spot" also given as Ipetsut, "The Most Select of Places".

The original name has to do with the ancient Egyptian belief that Thebes was the first city founded on the primordial mound which rose from the waters of chaos at the beginning of the world. At that time, the creator-god Atum (sometimes Ptah or Ra) stood on the mound to begin the work of creation. The site of the temple was thought to be this original ground and the temple was raised at this spot for that reason. Karnak is believed to have been an ancient observatory as well as a place of worship where the god Amun would interact directly with the people of earth.

Constructed over hundreds of years by Amenhotep III, Ramses II, Tutankhamun, and other pharaohs, Luxor Temple was the largest and most significant religious center in ancient Egypt. In what was then Thebes, Luxor Temple was “the place of the First Occasion,” where the god Amon experienced rebirth during the pharaoh’s annually reenacted coronation ceremony. Today, remains of this vast complex include the colossal Great Colonnade Hall, almost 61 meters long, with 28 twenty-one-foot-high columns, its decoration largely undertaken by Tutankhamun around 1330 B.C. Many of the temple’s sidewalls were torn down after the time of the pharaohs and recycled for building materials.

This temple is probably the biggest reason why Luxor is known as “the greatest open-air museum in the world”. The temple of Luxor is located in the modern city of Luxor in the south of Egypt, which is built in the ancient Egyptian capital of Thebes.

The temple is one of the best-preserved ancient monuments in history, a large structure that includes a sanctuary and relief carvings that are still intact. You can be sure that the visit to this temple will be one of the most impressive you will make during your stay in Luxor and certainly in Egypt as well.

The modern city of Luxor starts on one side and the River Nile Egypt flows through on the other. There are few places in Egypt where a temple is situated in this way, in touch with the extraordinary extent of Egypt's history.

The Luxor Temple is a large Ancient Egyptian temple complex located on the east bank of the Nile River in the city today known as Luxor (ancient Thebes) and was constructed approximately 1400 BCE. In the Egyptian language it was known as ipet resyt, "the southern sanctuary". It was one of the two primary temples on the east bank, the other being Karnak. Unlike the other temples in Thebes, Luxor temple is not dedicated to a cult god or a deified version of the pharaoh in death. Instead, Luxor temple is dedicated to the rejuvenation of kingship; it may have been where many of the pharaohs of Egypt were crowned.

To the rear of the temple are chapels built by Amenhotep III of the 18th Dynasty, and Alexander. Other parts of the temple were built by Tutankhamun and Ramesses II. During the Roman era, the temple and its surroundings were a legionary fortress and the home of the Roman government in the area. During the Roman period a chapel inside the Luxor Temple originally dedicated to the goddess Mut was transformed into a Tetrarchy cult chapel and later into a church.

Along with the other archeological sites in Thebes, the Luxor Temple was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1979.

The Luxor Temple is a large Ancient Egyptian temple complex located on the east bank of the Nile River in the city today known as Luxor (ancient Thebes) and was constructed approximately 1400 BCE. In the Egyptian language it was known as ipet resyt, "the southern sanctuary". It was one of the two primary temples on the east bank, the other being Karnak. Unlike the other temples in Thebes, Luxor temple is not dedicated to a cult god or a deified version of the pharaoh in death. Instead, Luxor temple is dedicated to the rejuvenation of kingship; it may have been where many of the pharaohs of Egypt were crowned.

To the rear of the temple are chapels built by Amenhotep III of the 18th Dynasty, and Alexander. Other parts of the temple were built by Tutankhamun and Ramesses II. During the Roman era, the temple and its surroundings were a legionary fortress and the home of the Roman government in the area. During the Roman period a chapel inside the Luxor Temple originally dedicated to the goddess Mut was transformed into a Tetrarchy cult chapel and later into a church.

Along with the other archeological sites in Thebes, the Luxor Temple was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1979.

The Karnak Temple Complex, commonly known as Karnak comprises a vast mix of temples, pylons, chapels, and other buildings near Luxor, Egypt. Construction at the complex began during the reign of Senusret I (reigned 1971–1926 BC) in the Middle Kingdom (c. 2000–1700 BC) and continued into the Ptolemaic Kingdom (305–30 BC), although most of the extant buildings date from the New Kingdom. The area around Karnak was the ancient Egyptian Ipet-isut ("The Most Selected of Places") and the main place of worship of the 18th Dynastic Theban Triad, with the god Amun as its head.

It is part of the monumental city of Thebes, and in 1979 it was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List along with the rest of the city. Karnak gets its name from the nearby, and partly surrounded, modern village of El-Karnak, 2.5 kilometres (1.6 miles) north of Luxor.

The complex is a vast open site and includes the Karnak Open Air Museum. It is believed to be the second-most-visited[6] historical site in Egypt; only the Giza pyramid complex near Cairo receives more visits. It consists of four main parts, of which only the largest is currently open to the public. The term Karnak often is understood as being the Precinct of Amun-Re only, because this is the only part most visitors see. The three other parts, the Precinct of Mut, the Precinct of Montu, and the dismantled Temple of Amenhotep IV, are closed to the public. There also are a few smaller temples and sanctuaries connecting the Precinct of Mut, the Precinct of Amun-Re, and the Luxor Temple. The Precinct of Mut is very ancient, being dedicated to an Earth and creation deity, but not yet restored. The original temple was destroyed and partially restored by Hatshepsut, although another pharaoh built around it in order to change the focus or orientation of the sacred area. Many portions of it may have been carried away for use in other buildings.

The key difference between Karnak and most of the other temples and sites in Egypt is the length of time over which it was developed and used. Construction of temples started in the Middle Kingdom and continued into Ptolemaic times. Approximately thirty pharaohs contributed to the buildings, enabling it to reach a size, complexity, and diversity not seen elsewhere. Few of the individual features of Karnak are unique, but the size and number of features are vast. The deities represented range from some of the earliest worshipped to those worshipped much later in the history of the Ancient Egyptian culture. Although destroyed, it also contained an early temple built by Amenhotep IV (Akhenaten), the pharaoh who later would celebrate a nearly monotheistic religion he established that prompted him to move his court and religious center away from Thebes. It also contains evidence of adaptations, where the buildings of the ancient Egyptians were used by later cultures for their own religious purposes, such as Coptic churches.

The Luxor Temple is a large Ancient Egyptian temple complex located on the east bank of the Nile River in the city today known as Luxor (ancient Thebes) and was constructed approximately 1400 BCE. In the Egyptian language it was known as ipet resyt, "the southern sanctuary". It was one of the two primary temples on the east bank, the other being Karnak. Unlike the other temples in Thebes, Luxor temple is not dedicated to a cult god or a deified version of the pharaoh in death. Instead, Luxor temple is dedicated to the rejuvenation of kingship; it may have been where many of the pharaohs of Egypt were crowned.

To the rear of the temple are chapels built by Amenhotep III of the 18th Dynasty, and Alexander. Other parts of the temple were built by Tutankhamun and Ramesses II. During the Roman era, the temple and its surroundings were a legionary fortress and the home of the Roman government in the area. During the Roman period a chapel inside the Luxor Temple originally dedicated to the goddess Mut was transformed into a Tetrarchy cult chapel and later into a church.

Along with the other archeological sites in Thebes, the Luxor Temple was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1979.

The Luxor Temple is a large Ancient Egyptian temple complex located on the east bank of the Nile River in the city today known as Luxor (ancient Thebes) and was constructed approximately 1400 BCE. In the Egyptian language it was known as ipet resyt, "the southern sanctuary". It was one of the two primary temples on the east bank, the other being Karnak. Unlike the other temples in Thebes, Luxor temple is not dedicated to a cult god or a deified version of the pharaoh in death. Instead, Luxor temple is dedicated to the rejuvenation of kingship; it may have been where many of the pharaohs of Egypt were crowned.

To the rear of the temple are chapels built by Amenhotep III of the 18th Dynasty, and Alexander. Other parts of the temple were built by Tutankhamun and Ramesses II. During the Roman era, the temple and its surroundings were a legionary fortress and the home of the Roman government in the area. During the Roman period a chapel inside the Luxor Temple originally dedicated to the goddess Mut was transformed into a Tetrarchy cult chapel and later into a church.

Along with the other archeological sites in Thebes, the Luxor Temple was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1979.

The Luxor Temple is a large Ancient Egyptian temple complex located on the east bank of the Nile River in the city today known as Luxor (ancient Thebes) and was constructed approximately 1400 BCE. In the Egyptian language it was known as ipet resyt, "the southern sanctuary". It was one of the two primary temples on the east bank, the other being Karnak. Unlike the other temples in Thebes, Luxor temple is not dedicated to a cult god or a deified version of the pharaoh in death. Instead, Luxor temple is dedicated to the rejuvenation of kingship; it may have been where many of the pharaohs of Egypt were crowned.

To the rear of the temple are chapels built by Amenhotep III of the 18th Dynasty, and Alexander. Other parts of the temple were built by Tutankhamun and Ramesses II. During the Roman era, the temple and its surroundings were a legionary fortress and the home of the Roman government in the area. During the Roman period a chapel inside the Luxor Temple originally dedicated to the goddess Mut was transformed into a Tetrarchy cult chapel and later into a church.

Along with the other archeological sites in Thebes, the Luxor Temple was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1979.

The Karnak Temple Complex, commonly known as Karnak comprises a vast mix of temples, pylons, chapels, and other buildings near Luxor, Egypt. Construction at the complex began during the reign of Senusret I (reigned 1971–1926 BC) in the Middle Kingdom (c. 2000–1700 BC) and continued into the Ptolemaic Kingdom (305–30 BC), although most of the extant buildings date from the New Kingdom. The area around Karnak was the ancient Egyptian Ipet-isut ("The Most Selected of Places") and the main place of worship of the 18th Dynastic Theban Triad, with the god Amun as its head.

It is part of the monumental city of Thebes, and in 1979 it was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List along with the rest of the city. Karnak gets its name from the nearby, and partly surrounded, modern village of El-Karnak, 2.5 kilometres (1.6 miles) north of Luxor.

The complex is a vast open site and includes the Karnak Open Air Museum. It is believed to be the second-most-visited[6] historical site in Egypt; only the Giza pyramid complex near Cairo receives more visits. It consists of four main parts, of which only the largest is currently open to the public. The term Karnak often is understood as being the Precinct of Amun-Re only, because this is the only part most visitors see. The three other parts, the Precinct of Mut, the Precinct of Montu, and the dismantled Temple of Amenhotep IV, are closed to the public. There also are a few smaller temples and sanctuaries connecting the Precinct of Mut, the Precinct of Amun-Re, and the Luxor Temple. The Precinct of Mut is very ancient, being dedicated to an Earth and creation deity, but not yet restored. The original temple was destroyed and partially restored by Hatshepsut, although another pharaoh built around it in order to change the focus or orientation of the sacred area. Many portions of it may have been carried away for use in other buildings.

The key difference between Karnak and most of the other temples and sites in Egypt is the length of time over which it was developed and used. Construction of temples started in the Middle Kingdom and continued into Ptolemaic times. Approximately thirty pharaohs contributed to the buildings, enabling it to reach a size, complexity, and diversity not seen elsewhere. Few of the individual features of Karnak are unique, but the size and number of features are vast. The deities represented range from some of the earliest worshipped to those worshipped much later in the history of the Ancient Egyptian culture. Although destroyed, it also contained an early temple built by Amenhotep IV (Akhenaten), the pharaoh who later would celebrate a nearly monotheistic religion he established that prompted him to move his court and religious center away from Thebes. It also contains evidence of adaptations, where the buildings of the ancient Egyptians were used by later cultures for their own religious purposes, such as Coptic churches.

Luxor Temple is a large Ancient Egyptian temple complex located on the east bank of the Nile River in the city today known as Luxor (ancient Thebes) and was constructed approximately 1400 BCE. In the Egyptian language it is known as ipet resyt, "the southern sanctuary". In Luxor, there are several great temples on the east and west banks. Four of the major mortuary temples visited by early travellers and tourists include the Temple of Seti I at Gurnah, the Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el Bahri, the Temple of Ramesses II (a.k.a. Ramesseum), and the Temple of Ramesses III at Medinet Habu; and the two primary cults temples on the east bank are known as the Karnak and Luxor.[1] Unlike the other temples in Thebes, Luxor temple is not dedicated to a cult god or a deified version of the king in death. Instead, Luxor temple is dedicated to the rejuvenation of kingship; it may have been where many of the kings of Egypt were crowned in reality or conceptually (as in the case of Alexander the Great who claimed he was crowned at Luxor but may never have travelled south of Memphis, near modern Cairo.)

The Karnak Temple Complex, commonly known as Karnak comprises a vast mix of temples, pylons, chapels, and other buildings near Luxor, Egypt. Construction at the complex began during the reign of Senusret I (reigned 1971–1926 BC) in the Middle Kingdom (c. 2000–1700 BC) and continued into the Ptolemaic Kingdom (305–30 BC), although most of the extant buildings date from the New Kingdom. The area around Karnak was the ancient Egyptian Ipet-isut ("The Most Selected of Places") and the main place of worship of the 18th Dynastic Theban Triad, with the god Amun as its head.

It is part of the monumental city of Thebes, and in 1979 it was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List along with the rest of the city. Karnak gets its name from the nearby, and partly surrounded, modern village of El-Karnak, 2.5 kilometres (1.6 miles) north of Luxor.

The complex is a vast open site and includes the Karnak Open Air Museum. It is believed to be the second-most-visited[6] historical site in Egypt; only the Giza pyramid complex near Cairo receives more visits. It consists of four main parts, of which only the largest is currently open to the public. The term Karnak often is understood as being the Precinct of Amun-Re only, because this is the only part most visitors see. The three other parts, the Precinct of Mut, the Precinct of Montu, and the dismantled Temple of Amenhotep IV, are closed to the public. There also are a few smaller temples and sanctuaries connecting the Precinct of Mut, the Precinct of Amun-Re, and the Luxor Temple. The Precinct of Mut is very ancient, being dedicated to an Earth and creation deity, but not yet restored. The original temple was destroyed and partially restored by Hatshepsut, although another pharaoh built around it in order to change the focus or orientation of the sacred area. Many portions of it may have been carried away for use in other buildings.

The key difference between Karnak and most of the other temples and sites in Egypt is the length of time over which it was developed and used. Construction of temples started in the Middle Kingdom and continued into Ptolemaic times. Approximately thirty pharaohs contributed to the buildings, enabling it to reach a size, complexity, and diversity not seen elsewhere. Few of the individual features of Karnak are unique, but the size and number of features are vast. The deities represented range from some of the earliest worshipped to those worshipped much later in the history of the Ancient Egyptian culture. Although destroyed, it also contained an early temple built by Amenhotep IV (Akhenaten), the pharaoh who later would celebrate a nearly monotheistic religion he established that prompted him to move his court and religious center away from Thebes. It also contains evidence of adaptations, where the buildings of the ancient Egyptians were used by later cultures for their own religious purposes, such as Coptic churches.

Così breve è il nostro

cammino in questo sogno.

Il mondo di una rosa.

Ma noi lo rendiamo

immenso

con soste di lunghi dolci baci

sulle foglie aperte.

Anonimo Egiziano

(XVI-XI sec. a.C.)

The Karnak Temple Complex, commonly known as Karnak, comprises a vast mix of decayed temples, chapels, pylons, and other buildings. Building at the complex began during the reign of Senusret I in the Middle Kingdom and continued into the Ptolemaic period, although most of the extant buildings date from the New Kingdom. The area around Karnak was the ancient Egyptian Ipet-isut ("The Most Selected of Places") and the main place of worship of the eighteenth dynasty Theban Triad with the god Amun as its head. It is part of the monumental city of Thebes. 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.

The complex is a vast open-air museum, and the second largest ancient religious site in the world, after the Angkor Wat Temple of Cambodia. It is believed to be the second most visited historical site in Egypt; only the Giza Pyramidsnear Cairo receive more visits. It consists of four main parts, of which only the largest is currently open to the general public. The term Karnak often is understood as being the Precinct of Amun-Ra only, because this is the only part most visitors see. The three other parts, the Precinct of Mut, the Precinct of Montu, and the dismantled Temple of Amenhotep IV, are closed to the public. There also are a few smaller temples and sanctuaries connecting the Precinct of Mut, the Precinct of Amun-Re, and the Luxor Temple.

The Precinct of Mut is very ancient, being dedicated to an Earth and creation deity, but not yet restored. The original temple was destroyed and partially restored by Hatshepsut, although another pharaoh built around it in order to change the focus or orientation of the sacred area. Many portions of it may have been carried away for use in other buildings.

The key difference between Karnak and most of the other temples and sites in Egypt is the length of time over which it was developed and used. Construction of temples started in the Middle Kingdom and continued through to Ptolemaic times. Approximately thirty pharaohs contributed to the buildings, enabling it to reach a size, complexity, and diversity not seen elsewhere. Few of the individual features of Karnak are unique, but the size and number of features are overwhelming. The deities represented range from some of the earliest worshiped to those worshiped much later in the history of the Ancient Egyptian culture. Although destroyed, it also contained an early temple built by Amenhotep IV (Akhenaten), the pharaoh who later would celebrate a near monotheistic religion he established that prompted him to move his court and religious center away from Thebes. It also contains evidence of adaptations, using buildings of the Ancient Egyptians by later cultures for their own religious purposes.

One famous aspect of Karnak is the Hypostyle Hall in the Precinct of Amun-Re, a hall area of 50,000 sq ft (5,000 m2) with 134 massive columns arranged in 16 rows. 122 of these columns are 10 meters tall, and the other 12 are 21 meters tall with a diameter of over three meters.

Il complesso templare di Karnak - di cui il Grande tempio di Amon e il Tempio di Luxor costituiscono solo una parte - si trova sulla riva destra (rispetto alla sorgente) del Nilo e la sua costruzione procede di pari passo con la storia egiziana antica; esso è, infatti, un sovrapporsi di strutture successive tanto che è oggi quasi impossibile individuare il nucleo originale, risalente al Re Sesostris I della XII Dinastia, che era costituito da tre piccoli locali orientati Est-Ovest, oggi inesistenti, e di cui si conservano solo le soglie ubicate nell'area posteriore al santuario della "barca sacra" di Filippo Arrideo, e nei pressi del "Chiosco di Sesostri I" ricostruito con componenti rinvenuti quale materiale di riempimento del III Pilione (Seti I, XIX Dinastia).

Dalla XII alla XXX Dinastia, in un arco di oltre 1600 anni, ogni Re o Faraone ha lasciato la propria traccia apportando modifiche, talvolta sfruttando le preesistenti costruzioni come cave di materiale o "usurpandole" a proprio nome.

Secondo il credo egizio, la perfezione divina era costituita da una triade; anche nel complesso templare di Karnak si rinviene la triade che è costituita dal citato Amon, dalla sua sposa Mut e dal figlio Khonsu che, pur non godendo di un complesso proprio, viene celebrato, come nella Festa di Opet, in entrambi i recinti dei genitori con un tempio a lui dedicato in ciascuno. Il recinto templare della Dea Mut (di circa m 250 x 400) è collegato a quello del marito Amon da un "dromos", un viale di sfingi con corpo di leone e testa di ariete, mentre in ognuno dei recinti maggiori si trova un lago per i lavacri sacri dei sacerdoti.

Oltre il II Pilone si apriva un grande portico scoperto voluto da Amenhotep III (XVIII Dinastia) e trasformato, da Sethy I e successivamente dal di lui figlio Ramses II, nella "Grande Sala Ipostila" con le sue 134 colonne. La facciata del tempio di Thutmosi I (XVIII Dinastia) dà accesso al "Luogo Prescelto", il tempio di Amon propriamente detto e costituisce, oggi, il V Pilone. Ai lati del suo accesso, Thutmosi III erigerà due pilastri rappresentanti le piante araldiche dell'Alto e Basso Egitto, rispettivamente il fior di loto e il papiro. Accanto ai due pilastri, all'epoca di Tutankamon, saranno edificate le statue di Amon ed Amonet.

The Luxor Temple is a large Ancient Egyptian temple complex located on the east bank of the Nile River in the city today known as Luxor (ancient Thebes) and was constructed approximately 1400 BCE. In the Egyptian language it was known as ipet resyt, "the southern sanctuary". It was one of the two primary temples on the east bank, the other being Karnak. Unlike the other temples in Thebes, Luxor temple is not dedicated to a cult god or a deified version of the pharaoh in death. Instead, Luxor temple is dedicated to the rejuvenation of kingship; it may have been where many of the pharaohs of Egypt were crowned.

To the rear of the temple are chapels built by Amenhotep III of the 18th Dynasty, and Alexander. Other parts of the temple were built by Tutankhamun and Ramesses II. During the Roman era, the temple and its surroundings were a legionary fortress and the home of the Roman government in the area. During the Roman period a chapel inside the Luxor Temple originally dedicated to the goddess Mut was transformed into a Tetrarchy cult chapel and later into a church.

Along with the other archeological sites in Thebes, the Luxor Temple was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1979.

Luxor (arabisch الأقصر, DMG al-Uqṣur; altägyptisch Ipet reset) ist eine ägyptische Stadt am östlichen Ufer des Nils etwa im Zentrum Oberägyptens. Luxor ist die größte oberägyptische Stadt (Volkszählung 2006: 451.318 Einwohner, Berechnungen für 2010: über 487.000 Einwohner) und Verwaltungssitz des am 7. Dezember 2009 neu entstandenen Gouvernements Al-Uqsur. Sie kann dank der Vielzahl kultureller Stätten und der Anbindung durch den internationalen Flughafen als Mittelpunkt der Region angesehen werden. (Wikipedia.de)

ram-headed sphinxes, Great Temple of Amon-Reˁ, Karnak

Karnak

The name Karnak, from that of a modern village nearby (el-Karnak), describes a vast conglomeration of ruined temples, chapels and other buildings of various dates, measuring some 1.5 by at least 0.8 kilometers. This was ancient Egyptian Ipet-isut, perhaps “The Most Select of Places,” the main place of worship of the Theban triad with the god Amun (often, especially during the New Kingdom, described as Amon-Reˁ) at its head, and also the home of various “guest” deities. No site in Egypt makes a more overwhelming and lasting impression than this apparent chaos of walls, obelisks, columns, statues, stelae, and decorated blocks. Theban kings and the god Amun came to prominence at the beginning of the Middle Kingdom. From that time, the temples of Karnak were built, enlarged, torn down, added to, and restored for more than 2,000 years. The temple of Amun was ideologically and economically the most important temple establishment in the whole of Egypt.

from

John Baines and Jaromir Malek, Atlas of Ancient Egypt (Revised Edition) (Cairo: The American University in Cairo Press, 2002), p. 90.

Karnak (Arabisch: الكرنك, Al Karnak: 'versterkt dorp') is een dorp in Egypte. Het ligt bij aan de oostoever van de rivier de Nijl en 2,5 km ten noorden van Luxor. Toeristen beschouwen Karnak en Luxor als identiek, omdat de twee in dezelfde agglomeratie staan. Karnak bestaat uit een klein dorp bij het grootste tempelcomplex dat de farao's ooit hebben gebouwd. Men associëert de naam Karnak meer met de tempels dan met het dorp; de tempels zijn tweemaal zo groot.

De Tempels van Karnak zijn één groot museum en het grootste religieuze bouwwerk in de wereld. De grote tempels kunnen worden onderverdeeld in vier hoofdgebouwen, waarbij er nog kleine heiligdommetjes zijn en vele rijen met sfinxen. Waarbij slechts één toegankelijk is voor het publiek, het is gelijk het grootste en het hart van de tempel. De bezoekers krijgen zo het idee dat Karnak alleen het gebied van Amon-re was, terwijl er ook andere goden vereerd werden.

Karnak onderscheidt zich van andere tempels omdat er zolang door in de naam van farao's is gebouwd. Er werd mee begonnen in het Middenrijk, ongeveer 1600 voor Chr. en aan het hele project hebben 30 farao's meegedaan.

uit:

nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karnak

The Karnak temple complex, universally known only as Karnak, describes a vast conglomeration of ruined temples, chapels, pylons and other buildings. It is located near Luxor in Egypt. This was ancient Egyptian Ipet-isut, the main place of worship of the Theban Triad with Amun as its head, in the monumental city of Thebes. The complex retrieves its current name from the nearby and partly surrounding modern village of el-Karnak, some 2.5km north of Luxor.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karnak

GREAT HYPOSTYLE HALL

from an interpretive sign at the site:

The Hypostyle Hall between the Second and Third Pylons measures 103 meters in width by 53 meters in length. Its 134 columns imitate the primeval papyrus marsh. The main nave is flanked by two rows of six open-bud papyrus-capital columns and was lit by clerestory windows on either side. The other 122 smaller closed-bud columns support the lateral naves which were lit through openings in the ceiling. Conceived by Seti I as a separate temple from the Ipet-Sut where Amun met with the Ennead during the annual festival, the Hypostyle Hall is described in the text inscribed in the architraves as a “temple of millions of years”, i.e. a place where the royal cult, in association with the cult of Amun, was celebrated. The coloured decoration on the inside portrays the ceremonies carried out here, such as the sacred barque festival or the daily religious rituals, whereas the decoration on the outside walls portrays the military victories of Seti I on the north side and Ramesses II on the south side.

On October 3rd 1899, a dozen columns toppled over in the northern part of the hall. Huge scale reconstruction work started almost immediately under the direction of Georges Legrain and Mohamed Afandy, who restored them as we see them today.

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Egypt - Luxor - الأقصر - al-Uqṣur - Ancient Thebes - Θῆβαι - Thēbai - طيبة‎ - UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site on banks of river Nile - Dusk - Twilight at Luxor Temple - الأقصر - Al-Uqṣur - "The palaces"

Luxor Temple is a large Ancient Egyptian temple complex located on the east bank of the River Nile in the city today known as Luxor (ancient Thebes) and was founded in 1400 BC. Known in the Egyptian language as ipet resyt, or "the southern harem", the temple was dedicated to the Theban Triad of Amun, Mut, and Chons and was built during the New Kingdom, the focus of the annual Opet Festival, in which a cult statue of Amun was paraded down the Nile from nearby Karnak Temple (ipet-isut) to stay there for a while, with his consort Mut, in a celebration of fertility – whence its name.

The best time to visit Luxor temple is during "blue hour" when many lights lit up the whole place. It completely changes atmosphere of this amazing temple. I could not but wonder when walking around such a place what would ancient Egyptians say when they would see those crowds of tourist strolling through this sacred place. I guess everything in our lives is relative.

It is rather difficult to shoot during blue hour in this temple as it seemed that all buses with hordes of tourists just came in. If you however use longer exposure people suddenly turn into ghostly figures and add interesting element to the photo. You could also imagine that they could be wondering souls of ancient priests..

Camera Model: Canon EOS 5D Mark II; Lens: EF17-40mm f/4L USM; Focal length: 19.00 mm; Aperture: 16; Exposure time: 10.0 s; ISO: 125

All rights reserved - Copyright © Lucie Debelkova - www.luciedebelkova.com

All images are exclusive property and may not be copied, downloaded, reproduced, transmitted, manipulated or used in any way without expressed, written permission of the photographer.

Magnificent peek into the past.

The Luxor Temple (Arabic: معبد الأقصر) is a large Ancient Egyptian temple complex located on the east bank of the Nile River in the city today known as Luxor (ancient Thebes) and was constructed approximately 1400 BCE. In the Egyptian language it was known as ipet resyt, "the southern sanctuary". It was one of the two primary temples on the east bank, the other being Karnak.[1] Unlike the other temples in Thebes, Luxor temple is not dedicated to a cult god or a deified version of the pharaoh in death. Instead, Luxor temple is dedicated to the rejuvenation of kingship; it may have been where many of the pharaohs of Egypt were crowned.

Along with the other archeological sites in Thebes, the Luxor Temple was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1979 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luxor_Temple

Jenny Pansing photos

Luxor Temple is a large Ancient Egyptian temple complex located on the east bank of the Nile River in the city today known as Luxor (ancient Thebes) and was constructed approximately 1400 BCE. In the Egyptian language it is known as ipet resyt, "the southern sanctuary". In Luxor there are several great temples on the east and west banks. Four of the major mortuary temples visited by early travelers and tourists include the Temple of Seti I at Gurnah, the Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el Bahri, the Temple of Ramesses II (a.k.a. Ramesseum), and the Temple of Ramesses III at Medinet Habu; and the two primary cults temples on the east bank are known as the Karnak and Luxor. Unlike the other temples in Thebes, Luxor temple is not dedicated to a cult god or a deified version of the king in death. Instead Luxor temple is dedicated to the rejuvenation of kingship; it may have been where many of the kings of Egypt were crowned in reality or conceptually (as in the case of Alexander the Great who claimed he was crowned at Luxor but may never have traveled south of Memphis, near modern Cairo.)

To the rear of the temple are chapels built by Amenhotep III of the 18th Dynasty, and Alexander. Other parts of the temple were built by Tutankhamun and Ramesses II. During the Roman era, the temple and its surroundings were a legionary fortress and the home of the Roman government in the area.

Karnak

The name Karnak, from that of a modern village nearby (el-Karnak), describes a vast conglomeration of ruined temples, chapels and other buildings of various dates, measuring some 1.5 by at least 0.8 kilometers. This was ancient Egyptian Ipet-isut, perhaps “The Most Select of Places,” the main place of worship of the Theban triad with the god Amun (often, especially during the New Kingdom, described as Amon-Reˁ) at its head, and also the home of various “guest” deities. No site in Egypt makes a more overwhelming and lasting impression than this apparent chaos of walls, obelisks, columns, statues, stelae, and decorated blocks. Theban kings and the god Amun came to prominence at the beginning of the Middle Kingdom. From that time, the temples of Karnak were built, enlarged, torn down, added to, and restored for more than 2,000 years. The temple of Amun was ideologically and economically the most important temple establishment in the whole of Egypt.

from

John Baines and Jaromir Malek, Atlas of Ancient Egypt (Revised Edition) (Cairo: The American University in Cairo Press, 2002), p. 90.

The Luxor Temple is a large Ancient Egyptian temple complex located on the east bank of the Nile River in the city today known as Luxor (ancient Thebes) and was constructed approximately 1400 BCE. In the Egyptian language it was known as ipet resyt, "the southern sanctuary". It was one of the two primary temples on the east bank, the other being Karnak. Unlike the other temples in Thebes, Luxor temple is not dedicated to a cult god or a deified version of the pharaoh in death. Instead, Luxor temple is dedicated to the rejuvenation of kingship; it may have been where many of the pharaohs of Egypt were crowned in reality or conceptually (as in the case of Alexander the Great, who claimed he was crowned at Luxor but may never have traveled south of Memphis, near modern Cairo).

At the end of each day NUT stretches her body over "Ipet-Isut"

(Most Selected of Places)

Sound & Light at Karnak, Luxor, Egypt

NUT - Ancient Egyptian: Nwt, also known by various other transcriptions, is the goddess of the sky, stars, cosmos, mothers, astronomy and the universe in the ancient Egyptian religion.

Luxor Temple is a large Ancient Egyptian temple complex located on the east bank of the Nile River in the city today known as Luxor (ancient Thebes) and was constructed approximately 1400 BCE. In the Egyptian language it is known as ipet resyt, "the southern sanctuary". In Luxor there are several great temples on the east and west banks. Four of the major mortuary temples visited by early travelers and tourists include the Temple of Seti I at Gurnah, the Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el Bahri, the Temple of Ramesses II (a.k.a. Ramesseum), and the Temple of Ramesses III at Medinet Habu; and the two primary cults temples on the east bank are known as the Karnak and Luxor. Unlike the other temples in Thebes, Luxor temple is not dedicated to a cult god or a deified version of the king in death. Instead Luxor temple is dedicated to the rejuvenation of kingship; it may have been where many of the kings of Egypt were crowned in reality or conceptually (as in the case of Alexander the Great who claimed he was crowned at Luxor but may never have traveled south of Memphis, near modern Cairo.)

To the rear of the temple are chapels built by Amenhotep III of the 18th Dynasty, and Alexander. Other parts of the temple were built by Tutankhamun and Ramesses II. During the Roman era, the temple and its surroundings were a legionary fortress and the home of the Roman government in the area.

The Karnak Temple Complex, commonly known as Karnak which was originally derived from Khurnaq "fortified village", comprises a vast mix of decayed temples, pylons, chapels, and other buildings near Luxor, Egypt. Construction at the complex began during the reign of Senusret I (reigned 1971–1926 BCE) in the Middle Kingdom (around 2000–1700 BCE) and continued into the Ptolemaic Kingdom (305–30 BCE), although most of the extant buildings date from the New Kingdom. The area around Karnak was the ancient Egyptian Ipet-isut ("The Most Selected of Places") and the main place of worship of the 18th Dynastic Theban Triad, with 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.

The Luxor Temple is a large Ancient Egyptian temple complex located on the east bank of the Nile River in the city today known as Luxor (ancient Thebes) and was constructed approximately 1400 BCE. In the Egyptian language it was known as ipet resyt, "the southern sanctuary". It was one of the two primary temples on the east bank, the other being Karnak. Unlike the other temples in Thebes, Luxor temple is not dedicated to a cult god or a deified version of the pharaoh in death. Instead, Luxor temple is dedicated to the rejuvenation of kingship; it may have been where many of the pharaohs of Egypt were crowned in reality or conceptually (as in the case of Alexander the Great, who claimed he was crowned at Luxor but may never have traveled south of Memphis, near modern Cairo).

The Luxor Temple is a large Ancient Egyptian temple complex located on the east bank of the Nile River in the city today known as Luxor (ancient Thebes) and was constructed approximately 1400 BCE. In the Egyptian language it was known as ipet resyt, "the southern sanctuary". It was one of the two primary temples on the east bank, the other being Karnak. Unlike the other temples in Thebes, Luxor temple is not dedicated to a cult god or a deified version of the pharaoh in death. Instead, Luxor temple is dedicated to the rejuvenation of kingship; it may have been where many of the pharaohs of Egypt were crowned in reality or conceptually (as in the case of Alexander the Great, who claimed he was crowned at Luxor but may never have traveled south of Memphis, near modern Cairo).

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Egypt - Luxor - الأقصر - al-Uqṣur - Ancient Thebes - Θῆβαι - Thēbai - طيبة‎ - UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site on banks of river Nile - Dusk - Twilight at Luxor Temple - الأقصر - Al-Uqṣur - "The palaces"

Luxor Temple is a large Ancient Egyptian temple complex located on the east bank of the River Nile in the city today known as Luxor (ancient Thebes) and was founded in 1400 BC. Known in the Egyptian language as ipet resyt, or "the southern harem", the temple was dedicated to the Theban Triad of Amun, Mut, and Chons and was built during the New Kingdom, the focus of the annual Opet Festival, in which a cult statue of Amun was paraded down the Nile from nearby Karnak Temple (ipet-isut) to stay there for a while, with his consort Mut, in a celebration of fertility – whence its name. Interesting thing about this temple is that it is one of those few locations that attracted different religions to use such a sacred place for their own religion. Once ancient pharaohs finished with additions to this temple, Alexander the Great rebuilt the Sanctuary. During the Christian era, the inner section was converted to a church. The Muslims built a Mosque in the 10th century, which is known as the Mosque of Abou El-Hagag.

The best time to visit Luxor temple is during "blue hour" when many lights lit up the whole place. It completely changes atmosphere of this amazing temple. I could not but wonder when walking around such a place what would ancient Egyptians say when they would see those crowds of tourist strolling through this sacred place. I guess everything in our lives is relative.

It is rather difficult to shoot during blue hour in this temple as it seemed that all buses with hordes of tourists just came in. If you however use longer exposure people suddenly turn into ghostly figures and add interesting element to the photo. There were several groups passing by when I took this shot, luckily they moved rather quickly so you can hardly see anybody.

Camera Model: Canon EOS 5D Mark II; Lens: EF17-40mm f/4L USM; Focal length: 21.00 mm; Aperture: 16; Exposure time: 8.0 s; ISO: 125

All rights reserved - Copyright © Lucie Debelkova - www.luciedebelkova.com

All images are exclusive property and may not be copied, downloaded, reproduced, transmitted, manipulated or used in any way without expressed, written permission of the photographer.

Luxor Temple is a large Ancient Egyptian temple complex located on the east bank of the Nile River in the city today known as Luxor (ancient Thebes) and was founded in 1400 BCE. Known in the Egyptian language as ipet resyt, or "the southern sanctuary." In Luxor there are six great temples, the four on the left bank are known to travellers and readers of travels as Goornah, Deir-el-Bahri, the Ramesseum, and Medinet Habu; and the two temples on the right bank are known as the Karnak and Luxor.[1]

To the rear of the temple are chapels built by Tuthmosis III, and Alexander. During the Roman era, the temple and its surroundings were a legionary fortress and the home of the Roman government in the area.

From Wikipedia

Le complexe religieux de Karnak —abusivement appelé temple de Karnak ou tout simplement Karnak— comprend un vaste ensemble de ruines de temples, chapelles, pylônes, et d’autres bâtiments situés au nord de Thèbes, aujourd’hui la ville de Louxor1, en Égypte, sur la rive droite du Nil.

Le complexe de Karnak, reconstruit et développé pendant plus de 2 000 ans par les pharaons successifs, de Sésostris Ier au Moyen Empire à l’époque ptolémaïque, s’étend sur plus de deux km², et est composé de trois enceintes. Il est le plus grand complexe religieux de toute l’Antiquité.

Temple le plus important de la XVIIIe dynastie, il était consacré à la triade thébaine avec à sa tête le dieu Amon-Rê. Le complexe était relié au temple de Louxor par une allée de sphinx de près de trois kilomètres de long.

Site touristique, il est classé au patrimoine mondial de l'UNESCO depuis 1979. Seule l’enceinte d’Amon peut être visitée. Le site fait l’objet de fouilles conduites dès le XIXe siècle par des archéologues français, organisés depuis 1967 au sein du Centre franco-égyptien d'étude des temples de Karnak. Les découvertes continuent à être nombreuses.

La construction du complexe de Karnak s'est étalée sur plus de deux millénaires avec une succession de construction, de modification, de rajouts, de destructions, de remaniements, etc. qui en fit le centre religieux le plus étendu de l'Égypte antique1. Cette importance est traduite par son nom, Ipet-isout ou Epte-sooué1, en hiéroglyphes :

Devant l'entrée occidentale de l'enceinte d'Amon-Rê s'étendait un bassin relié au Nil par un canal artificiel. C'était la voie processionnelle qu'empruntait la barque d'apparat de la triade thébaine d'Amon, Mout et Khonsou lorsqu'ils se rendaient au temple d'Amon de Louxor lors de la fête d'Opet.

East Bank/Luxor/Egypt 2019 (The Karnak Temple Complex, "fortified village", comprises a vast mix of decayed temples, chapels, pylons, and other buildings near Luxor, in Egypt. Construction at the complex began during the reign of Senusret I in the Middle Kingdom and continued into the Ptolemaic period, although most of the extant buildings date from the New Kingdom. The area around Karnak was the ancient Egyptian Ipet-isut ("The Most Selected of Places") and the main place of worship of the eighteenth dynasty Theban Triad with the god Amun as its head. It is part of the monumental city of Thebes...)

Copyright © 2019 by inigolai/Photography.

No part of this picture may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means , on websites, blogs, without prior permission

GREAT HYPOSTYLE HALL

from an interpretive sign at the site:

The Hypostyle Hall between the Second and Third Pylons measures 103 meters in width by 53 meters in length. Its 134 columns imitate the primeval papyrus marsh. The main nave is flanked by two rows of six open-bud papyrus-capital columns and was lit by clerestory windows on either side. The other 122 smaller closed-bud columns support the lateral naves which were lit through openings in the ceiling. Conceived by Seti I as a separate temple from the Ipet-Sut where Amun met with the Ennead during the annual festival, the Hypostyle Hall is described in the text inscribed in the architraves as a “temple of millions of years”, i.e. a place where the royal cult, in association with the cult of Amun, was celebrated. The coloured decoration on the inside portrays the ceremonies carried out here, such as the sacred barque festival or the daily religious rituals, whereas the decoration on the outside walls portrays the military victories of Seti I on the north side and Ramesses II on the south side.

On October 3rd 1899, a dozen columns toppled over in the northern part of the hall. Huge scale reconstruction work started almost immediately under the direction of Georges Legrain and Mohamed Afandy, who restored them as we see them today.

Con unas dimensiones de 45 m de largo y 56 de ancho, se encuentra rodeado por 3 de sus lados con 2 hileras de columnas con capiteles papiriformes cerrados. Este patio y la columnata anterior fueron construidos en 2 alturas diferentes.

En este lugar se encontró un escondite de estatuas durante una excavación en Luxor en el año 1989. Conocido en la actualidad como el “escondite del templo de Luxor”, en el foso se encontraron estatuas que databan desde la dinastía XVIII hasta el período ptolemaico (muchas de estas piezas fueron trasladadas al Museo de Luxor).

Situado en la orilla este del río Nilo en la actual Luxor (Tebas), el Templo de Luxor fue conocido por los antiguos egipcios como Ipet-Reshut, “el harén meridional” del dios Amón.

Su construcción fue llevada a cabo, principalmente, por los monarcas Amenhotep III (1391 – 1353 a.C) dinastía XVIII, y Ramsés II (1290 – 1224 a.C.) dinastía XIX.

El templo de Luxor fue el centro de la celebración más importante de Tebas (Waset para los antiguos egipcios), el festival de la ‘Bella Fiesta de Opet’.

Durante esta celebración las imágenes de la tríada tebana, Amón, Mut y Khonsu, eran llevadas desde el templo de Karnak, situado a unos 2 km, hasta el de Luxor, donde permanecían hasta que finalizaba el festival.

Esta festividad se celebraba una vez al año, en el segundo mes de la inundación, y estaba vinculada con la crecida del Nilo.

The Luxor Temple is a large Ancient Egyptian temple complex located on the east bank of the Nile River in the city today known as Luxor (ancient Thebes) and was constructed approximately 1400 BCE. In the Egyptian language it was known as ipet resyt, "the southern sanctuary". It was one of the two primary temples on the east bank, the other being Karnak. Unlike the other temples in Thebes, Luxor temple is not dedicated to a cult god or a deified version of the pharaoh in death. Instead, Luxor temple is dedicated to the rejuvenation of kingship; it may have been where many of the pharaohs of Egypt were crowned in reality or conceptually (as in the case of Alexander the Great, who claimed he was crowned at Luxor but may never have traveled south of Memphis, near modern Cairo).

Roman wall painting plastered over ancient Egyptian reliefs

The Luxor Temple is a large Ancient Egyptian temple complex located on the east bank of the Nile River in the city today known as Luxor (ancient Thebes) and was constructed approximately 1400 BCE. In the Egyptian language it was known as ipet resyt, "the southern sanctuary". It was one of the two primary temples on the east bank, the other being Karnak. Unlike the other temples in Thebes, Luxor temple is not dedicated to a cult god or a deified version of the pharaoh in death. Instead, Luxor temple is dedicated to the rejuvenation of kingship; it may have been where many of the pharaohs of Egypt were crowned in reality or conceptually (as in the case of Alexander the Great, who claimed he was crowned at Luxor but may never have traveled south of Memphis, near modern Cairo).

Luxor Temple is a large Ancient Egyptian temple complex located on the east bank of the Nile River in the city today known as Luxor (ancient Thebes) and was constructed approximately 1400 BCE. In the Egyptian language it is known as ipet resyt, "the southern sanctuary". In Luxor there are several great temples on the east and west banks. Four of the major mortuary temples visited by early travelers and tourists include the Temple of Seti I at Gurnah, the Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el Bahri, the Temple of Ramesses II (a.k.a. Ramesseum), and the Temple of Ramesses III at Medinet Habu; and the two primary cults temples on the east bank are known as the Karnak and Luxor. Unlike the other temples in Thebes, Luxor temple is not dedicated to a cult god or a deified version of the king in death. Instead Luxor temple is dedicated to the rejuvenation of kingship; it may have been where many of the kings of Egypt were crowned in reality or conceptually (as in the case of Alexander the Great who claimed he was crowned at Luxor but may never have traveled south of Memphis, near modern Cairo.)

To the rear of the temple are chapels built by Amenhotep III of the 18th Dynasty, and Alexander. Other parts of the temple were built by Tutankhamun and Ramesses II. During the Roman era, the temple and its surroundings were a legionary fortress and the home of the Roman government in the area.

Luxor Temple is a large Ancient Egyptian temple complex located on the east bank of the River Nile in the city today known as Luxor (ancient Thebes) and was founded in 400 BC.

Adriënne's Photos on Flickriver

Known in the Egyptian language as ipet resyt, or "the southern harem", the temple was dedicated to the Theban Triad of Amun, Mut, and Chons and was built during the New Kingdom.

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Egypt - Luxor - الأقصر - al-Uqṣur - Ancient Thebes - UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site on banks of river Nile - Al-Karnak (الكرنك) - Karnak Temple Complex - Vast conglomeration of ruined temples, chapels, pylons, and other buildings, notably the Great Temple of Amen & massive structure begun by Pharaoh Ramses II

The Karnak temple complex, universally known only as Karnak, describes a vast conglomeration of ruined temples, chapels, pylons and other buildings. It is located near Luxor in Egypt. This was ancient Egyptian Ipet-isut ("The Most Selected of Places"), the main place of worship of the Theban Triad with Amun as its head, in the monumental city of Thebes. The complex retrieves its current name from the nearby and partly surrounding modern village of el-Karnak, some 2.5km north of Luxor.

This photo is a typical example of Egypt way of modeling for money - Those of you that think that such a timeless photo opportunity will occur on each step in a place like a Valley of Kings or Luxor in Egypt ( I thought so) might be surprised as Egypt is a land of "baksheesh" and money is asked for everything. When I took photos of bakery in Oman or Yemen I left the shop with piece of free warm bread in my hand, when I tried to do same in Luxor, I was very shortly asked for "baksheesh" in very ordinary old bakery in the city. When I surprisingly just said "shokran" - thank you, I was not allowed to take more photos. The same story goes with this shot and many more. On a second thought, I should have asked for "baksheesh" too when those Egyptian guys have been taking photos with me to show off that they have new blond, European girlfriend.

Camera Model: Canon EOS 5D Mark II; Lens: 28-300mm; Focal length: 119.00 mm; Aperture: 5.6; Exposure time: 1/25 s; ISO: 100

All rights reserved - Copyright © Lucie Debelkova - www.luciedebelkova.com

All images are exclusive property and may not be copied, downloaded, reproduced, transmitted, manipulated or used in any way without expressed, written permission of the photographer.

Luxor Temple is a large Ancient Egyptian temple complex located on the east bank of the Nile River in the city today known as Luxor (ancient Thebes) and was constructed approximately 1400 BCE. In the Egyptian language it is known as ipet resyt, "the southern sanctuary". In Luxor there are several great temples on the east and west banks. Four of the major mortuary temples visited by early travelers and tourists include the Temple of Seti I at Gurnah, the Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el Bahri, the Temple of Ramesses II (a.k.a. Ramesseum), and the Temple of Ramesses III at Medinet Habu; and the two primary cults temples on the east bank are known as the Karnak and Luxor. Unlike the other temples in Thebes, Luxor temple is not dedicated to a cult god or a deified version of the king in death. Instead Luxor temple is dedicated to the rejuvenation of kingship; it may have been where many of the kings of Egypt were crowned in reality or conceptually (as in the case of Alexander the Great who claimed he was crowned at Luxor but may never have traveled south of Memphis, near modern Cairo.)

To the rear of the temple are chapels built by Amenhotep III of the 18th Dynasty, and Alexander. Other parts of the temple were built by Tutankhamun and Ramesses II. During the Roman era, the temple and its surroundings were a legionary fortress and the home of the Roman government in the area.

In Explore December 4, 2024.

A UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Originally there were two obelisks. The other was given to France and is in Paris' Place de la Concorde.

From Wikipedia:

The Luxor Temple (Arabic: معبد الأقصر) is a large Ancient Egyptian temple complex located on the east bank of the Nile River in the city today known as Luxor (ancient Thebes) and was constructed approximately 1400 BCE. In the Egyptian language it was known as ipet resyt, "the southern sanctuary". It was one of the two primary temples on the east bank, the other being Karnak. Unlike the other temples in Thebes, Luxor temple is not dedicated to a cult god or a deified version of the pharaoh in death. Instead, Luxor temple is dedicated to the rejuvenation of kingship; it may have been where many of the pharaohs of Egypt were crowned in reality or conceptually (as in the case of Alexander the Great, who claimed he was crowned at Luxor but may never have traveled south of Memphis, near modern Cairo).

To the rear of the temple are chapels built by Amenhotep III of the 18th Dynasty, and Alexander. Other parts of the temple were built by Tutankhamun and Ramesses II. During the Roman era, the temple and its surroundings were a legionary fortress and the home of the Roman government in the area. During the Roman period a chapel inside the Luxor Temple originally dedicated to the goddess Mut was transformed into a Tetrarchy cult chapel and later into a church.

Along with the other archeological sites in Thebes, the Luxor Temple was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1979.

View On Black

Der Luxor-Tempel (altägyptisch Ipet-reset) ist eine Tempelanlage im heutigen Luxor in Ägypten. Er wurde zur Zeit des Neuen Reichs errichtet und südlicher Harem des Amun von Karnak genannt. Er war dem Gott Amun, seiner Gemahlin Mut und ihrem gemeinsamen Sohn, dem Mondgott Chons, geweiht.

The temple of Luxor (ancient Egyptian Ipet-reset) is a temple in present-day Luxor in Egypt. It was built during the New Kingdom and called southern harem of Amun at Karnak. He was the god Amun, dedicated to his consort Mut and their son, the moon god Khonsu.

de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luxor-Tempel

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The Luxor Temple is a large Ancient Egyptian temple complex located on the east bank of the Nile River in the city today known as Luxor (ancient Thebes) and was constructed approximately 1400 BCE. In the Egyptian language it was known as ipet resyt, "the southern sanctuary". It was one of the two primary temples on the east bank, the other being Karnak. Unlike the other temples in Thebes, Luxor temple is not dedicated to a cult god or a deified version of the pharaoh in death. Instead, Luxor temple is dedicated to the rejuvenation of kingship; it may have been where many of the pharaohs of Egypt were crowned in reality or conceptually (as in the case of Alexander the Great, who claimed he was crowned at Luxor but may never have traveled south of Memphis, near modern Cairo).

Le complexe religieux de Karnak — appelé temple de Karnak ou tout simplement Karnak— comprend un vaste ensemble de ruines de temples, chapelles, pylônes, et d’autres bâtiments situés au nord de Thèbes, aujourd’hui la ville de Louxor1, en Égypte, sur la rive Est du Nil.

Le complexe de Karnak, reconstruit et développé pendant plus de 2 000 ans par les pharaons successifs, de Sésostris Ier au Moyen Empire à l’époque ptolémaïque, s’étend sur plus de deux km², et est composé de trois enceintes. Il est le plus grand complexe religieux de toute l’Antiquité.

Temple le plus important de la XVIIIe dynastie, il était consacré à la triade thébaine avec à sa tête le dieu Amon-Rê. Le complexe était relié au temple de Louxor par une allée de sphinx de près de trois kilomètres de long.

Site touristique, il est classé au patrimoine mondial de l'UNESCO depuis 1979. Seule l’enceinte d’Amon peut être visitée. Le site fait l’objet de fouilles conduites dès le xixe siècle par des archéologues français, organisés depuis 1967 au sein du Centre franco-égyptien d'étude des temples de Karnak. Les découvertes continuent à être nombreuses.

La construction du complexe de Karnak s'est étalée sur plus de deux millénaires avec une succession de construction, de modification, de rajouts, de destructions, de remaniements, etc. qui en fit le centre religieux le plus étendu de l'Égypte antique. Cette importance est traduite par son nom, Ipet-isout ou Epte-sooué, en hiéroglyphes :

Devant l'entrée occidentale de l'enceinte d'Amon-Rê s'étendait un bassin relié au Nil par un canal artificiel. C'était la voie processionnelle qu'empruntait la barque d'apparat de la triade thébaine d'Amon, Mout et Khonsou lorsqu'ils se rendaient au temple d'Amon de Louxor lors de la fête d'Opet.

GREAT HYPOSTYLE HALL

from an interpretive sign at the site:

The Hypostyle Hall between the Second and Third Pylons measures 103 meters in width by 53 meters in length. Its 134 columns imitate the primeval papyrus marsh. The main nave is flanked by two rows of six open-bud papyrus-capital columns and was lit by clerestory windows on either side. The other 122 smaller closed-bud columns support the lateral naves which were lit through openings in the ceiling. Conceived by Seti I as a separate temple from the Ipet-Sut where Amun met with the Ennead during the annual festival, the Hypostyle Hall is described in the text inscribed in the architraves as a “temple of millions of years”, i.e. a place where the royal cult, in association with the cult of Amun, was celebrated. The coloured decoration on the inside portrays the ceremonies carried out here, such as the sacred barque festival or the daily religious rituals, whereas the decoration on the outside walls portrays the military victories of Seti I on the north side and Ramesses II on the south side.

On October 3rd 1899, a dozen columns toppled over in the northern part of the hall. Huge scale reconstruction work started almost immediately under the direction of Georges Legrain and Mohamed Afandy, who restored them as we see them today.

SANTUARIO DE RAMSES III

Este santuario fue construido antes de que el primer patio fuera cerrado, sobresale del muro y nos da la impresión de que está mal colocado.

Hasta el año 1896 estuvo enterrado, y fue decorado característicamente como la mayoría de los monumentos de Ramsés II.

Dos estatuas de Ramsés III se levantan delante del primer pilono del santuario.

Los textos nos hablan de dos puertas enormes, de madera de acacia que estarían recubiertas con bronce que cerraba el acceso.

El rey lleva la doble coros, del Alto y Bajo Egipto en la torre izquierda del pilono y la corona del Bajo Egipto en la derecha.

Los nombres de las ciudades y países de Nubia y del Asia occidental de donde proceden los prisioneros están escritos cerca, pero están destruidos.

El muro exterior posee una procesión de barcas desde el Templo de Karnak hasta el Templo de Luxor durante la fiesta Opet, el mismo tema que aparece en La Columnata de Luxor.

Dentro hay un pequeño patio con un peristilo de 8 columnas, delante de los pilares se alzan estatuas osiriformes del rey.

La parte trasero de los pilares contienen varias deidades.

En el muro izquierdo la barca de Amón es llevada por los sacerdotes, en la parte derecha podemos ver estatuas itifálicas de Amón.

En a cara interna del pilono Amón ofrece bendiciones a Ramsés III para que tenga una larga vida.

En el extremo sur del patio una rampa nos lleva al vestíbulo con cuatro pilares osiríacos y cuatro columnas.

Detrás hay una sala hipóstila con ocho columnas, tras las cuales una puerta lleva a las habitaciones de Amón, Mut y Khonsu.

En el sanctasantorum en la parte trasera del templo, donde se sitúa la estatua del dios, está el altar.

Todo el templo es simétrico a través de un único eje.

EL TEMPLO DE KARNAK

La palabra Karnak procede de al-Karnak (“ciudad fortificada” y se llamaba en el Antiguo Egipto Ipet Sut, “el lugar más venerado”).

El complejo de templos de Karnak reúne templos (o recintos) consagrados a los más importantes dioses egipcios, Amón-Ra, Montu, Mut, Jonsu, Opet y Ptah.

Se distribuyen los templos en tres bloques o centros separados, rodeados cada uno por un muro de ladrillos de adobe, con varios espacios comunes, en especial el gran lago sagrado, numerosos templetes y capillas de menor tamaño, y múltiples estancias y almacenes, dentro de una planta limitada por un muro de adobe, un trapezoide de lados desiguales: 530 metros por el norte, 510 por el sur, otros 510 por el este y 710 por el oeste, sin que se sepa la razón de tales diferencias.

El templo de Amón-Ra es el principal. A su izquierda está el templo de Montu, el antiguo dios local de la guerra, que ocupa un cuadrilátero de unas dos hectáreas y media y al otro lado está el templo dedicado a la diosa Mut, representada simbólicamente por un buitre, esposa de Amón y madre de Jonsu con los que forma la tríada tebana.

El historiador Diodoro de Sicilia escribió que el de Amón-Ra era el templo más antiguo de Tebas y por ende el más venerado, como demuestra la intervención de una treintena de faraones en su construcción y ampliación, desde su probable inicio en el Imperio Medio (2134-1784 a.C.) hasta su cumbre en la época del Imperio Nuevo (1570-1070 a.C.), en especial la XVIII Dinastía, acabando las obras importantes en la XXX Dinastía, pero es que además y que casi todos los faraones, hasta la época romana, realizaron obras de mantenimiento, durante unos dos mil años, hasta llegar a ocupar unas 30 hectáreas (300.000 metros cuadrados), el mayor espacio religioso de su tiempo y que albergue la que es todavía hoy la sala hipóstila más grande del mundo.

Puesto que los faraones, en su ansia de ampliar y embellecer el templo, en ocasiones destruían y reutilizaban construcciones y estructuras precedentes, la arquitectura del edificio resulta más bien complicada, con cuatro patios y diez pilonos (o puertas, seis para el templo de Amón-Ra y cuatro para la continuación de su eje) con varios recintos, estructurados en dos ejes, uno principal y otro transversal.

El templo de Amón está orientado así según un doble eje este-oeste y norte-sur. El eje este-oeste, que comprende del primero al sexto pilono, sigue la trayectoria del Sol y simbolizaba el eje solar y celeste, y es perpendicular al cauce del Nilo, que discurre a unos 600 metros del primero de los pilonos. El eje norte-sur, que abarca del séptimo al décimo pilono, es paralelo al curso del Nilo e indica el eje real o terrestre.

Pero esta orientación no es rigurosa, puesto que en Egipto no se planificaban los edificios con regularidad geométrica, al menos hasta que llegaron los griegos, lo que se evidencia en que los planos del conjunto de Karnak y Luxor revelan continuas desviaciones y distorsiones de los ejes a través de la sucesión de pilonos.

El complejo se inicia en el muelle que entonces estaba en la ribera del Nilo, con una plataforma sobre la que se erigían pequeños dos obeliscos de Seti II, de los que sobrevive uno, que señalaban el lugar desde muy lejos a los barcos que se aproximaban.

Del embarcadero salía un largo dromos o camino del dios, una avenida delimitada a ambos lados por 50 esfinges criocéfalas, con cuerpos de león y cabeza de carnero (el animal tótem de Amón), protegen a unas diminutas figuras osíricas de Ramsés II. El camino lleva a la monumental entrada, sita entre dos inmensos pilonos (un concepto que se asigna también a puerta monumental). El primer pilono nunca fue terminado. Las piedras no se acabaron de pulir (aunque, curiosamente, sí están pulidas la piedras de la puerta del pilono), las dos alas del pilono no tienen la misma altura ya que una no se terminó y, efectivamente, en la parte trasera del pilono (más concretamente, del ala sur del pilono) se conserva todavía una de las rampas de adobe que se utilizaron presuntamente para subir los bloques con los que se construían los pilonos.

Los dos pilonos muestran en su tercio inferior cada uno cuatro ranuras verticales en las que encajaban unos mástiles de madera de cedro, forrada de cobre, para las banderas que ondeaban encima, mientras que las ventanas sobre dichas ranuras en el primero y segundo piso (con acceso por una escalera interior) servían para el manejo y también probablemente la sujeción de los mástiles y las banderas.

El dromos y el pilono de la derecha (al sur) son las obras más tardías del templo, mandadas construir por Nectanebo I, de la XXX Dinastía, mientras que el pilono de la izquierda (al norte), inconcluso, y los dos pórticos laterales del patio siguiente, fueron construidos por el faraón conquistador Sheshonk I (945-924 aC), fundador de la Dinastía XXII.

El intendente de Sheshonk I dejó memoria, en una estela de Silsileh, de las obras llevadas a cabo en Karnak: “Su Majestad ordenó construir un pilono muy grande... para embellecer Tebas... y hacer un patio de Hebsed para la casa de su padre, Amón-Ra, rey de los dioses, y rodearlo de una columnata”. Pero las obras nunca acabaron, lo que explica que el pilono norte llegó solo a las 32 hiladas de sillares, mientras que la sur, sí acabada posteriormente por Nectanebo I, alcanzó las 45 previstas hasta los 31,65 metros de altura. La cantería de ambos paramentos quedó también inconclusa, salvo en el interior de las puertas, y desprovista de los usuales bajorrelieves, inscripciones y colosos.

La primera puerta da acceso a un gran patio porticado, una sala hípetra a cielo descubierto, llamada por Champollion “La Grande Cour du Palais”, de 100 metros de ancho por 82 de fondo, en la que se alzan varios edificios construidos entre fines de la Dinastía XVIII y la época ptolemaica, más 12 columnas.

Nada más entrar, muy cerca del pilono, se encuentra a la izquierda, al noroeste del patio, un templete del faraón Seti II y a la derecha, pero al final del patio, otro de Ramsés III. Estos dos templetes tenían la función de ser capillas de descanso para las embarcaciones sagradas de la tríada tebana que, en la época de su construcción, eran externas al templo.

La capilla de Seti II tiene la forma de una casa de planta rectangular y paredes en talud, con tres puertas y tres estancias incomunicadas entre sí y sólo iluminadas por las puertas, cuyos relieves indican que la estancia del oeste correspondía a la barca de Mut, la del centro a la de Amón, y la del este a la de Jonsu, mientras que los nichos de la pared del fondo cobijaban estatuas del faraón. El grueso muro de la fachada está flanqueado por resaltes ribeteados de molduras de toro y coronado por un toro y un caveto como si fuese un pilono.

La capilla de Ramsés III está en el extremo opuesto del patio, en sentido transversal, y es mucho más grande (60 metros de largo) y suntuosa que la anterior, reproduciendo su distribución el prototipo del templo del Imperio Nuevo: dos colosos, pilono, patio, vestíbulo, sala hipóstila y santuario tripartito para alojar las tres barcas sagradas (nuevamente de Mut, Amón y Jonsu). Los dos colosos figuran a Ramsés III, hoy descabezado, con bajorrelieves bélicos en los que vence a los ‘Pueblos del Mar’ y a los nubios.

Si nos fijamos a ambos lados del primer patio hay una columnata, tras la cual se encuentran los muros. Esta columnata se remonta a tiempos de la dinastía XXII (en pleno tercer período intermedio) y fue construida por el faraón libio Sheshonk I. Al fondo del patio hay un vestíbulo y la siguiente puerta o segundo pilono, iniciados ambos por Horemheb, el faraón de tránsito de la Dinastía XVIII a la XIX, y terminados por los faraones de esta Dinastía, Ramsés I y Ramsés II, que no tuvieron reparo en usurpar las cartelas de su antecesor.

La segunda puerta está flanqueada a la izquierda por una de las columnas del faraón nubio Taharqa, una columna umbelífera que le usurpó Psamético I.

Frente a la segunda puerta también hay esfinges criocéfalas

(similares a las del dromos) y dos estatuas de grandes dimensiones de Ramsés II, la mayor de las cuales, en la cara norte, fue usurpada por el faraón Pinegem (Pinedyem) I, y una de Ramsés III.

El templo continúa en la gran sala hipóstila, comprendida entre el segundo y el tercer pilono. Varios faraones se sucedieron en su construcción: Amenofis III mandó erigir el tercer pilono y las 12 columnas de la nave central que sostienen los arquitrabes; Ramsés I comenzó la decoración, que fue continuada por Seti I (el ala norte), Ramsés II (el ala sur) y sus sucesores.

La monumental sala hipóstila mide 102 metros de ancho por 53 metros de largo y está compuesta de 134 imponentes columnas de hasta 23 metros de altura, que simbolizaban el pantano primordial del cual surgió la vida en Egipto, dejando poco espacio intercolumnas, salvo en la nave central y la transversal, algo más amplias para facilitar las procesiones. Se iluminaba el interior de la sala mediante los anchos ventanales abiertos sobre los arquitrabes, cerrados por celosías, que aprovechaban los desniveles de altura.

Los muros laterales de la sala hipóstila están repletos de inscripciones de Seti I en el lado norte, en un bajorrelieve ligeramente realzado, y de Ramsés II en el sur, en un bajorrelieve ligeramente rehundido, contraste que ha despertado distintas conjeturas, siendo la más probable que usurpara los relieves de su padre, Seti I.

Relacionada con la sala hipóstila, aunque se halla hoy fuera de ella, tenemos una obra pequeña pero relevante. La capilla blanca fue construida por Sesostris I (Jeperkara Senusert, Senusret faraón de la XII dinastía) con motivo de haber cumplido treinta años de reinado, y para el festival del sed.

Probablemente su construcción fue para albergar la barca real. Entonces sita donde después se construyó la sala, ha sido recuperada del interior del tercer pilono, para el que se utilizaron sus ladrillos y piezas de caliza como material de relle-no durante el reinado de Amenhotep III en la XVIII Dinastía. Hoy, nuevamente reconstruida por los arqueólogos franceses en un espacio exterior, este templete puede considerarse tanto por su diseño como por su decoración un ejemplo típico de la arquitectura egipcia del Imperio Medio y es tal vez la obra más antigua conservada de Karnak.

En el tercer pilono, Originalmente construido por Amenhotep III - 1390 a.C. a 1352 a.C. Modificado por Amenhotep IV / Akhenaton - 1352 a.C. a 1336 a.C.) Modificado por Seti I - 1294 a.C. a 1279 a.C.

La decoración glorifica el jubileo (Heb-Sed), Festival de Amenhotep III y presenta al rey y la barca sagrada del dios en un viaje al festival de templo de Luxor. En un principio, algunas escenas muestran el hijo del rey acompañando a su padre, pero estas representaciones de un joven Amenhotep IV / Akhenaton fueron desfiguradas después.

Medidas: Pilón 28m de altura. Hoy desmochado, se reproduce gran parte de la nave de 60 metros de eslora en que viajaban la custodia y la imagen de Amón, y la nave aun mayor, impulsada por pértigas, que remolcaba a la nave anterior.

El templo prosigue, atravesando el tercer pilono, en un espacio cuadrado que marcaba el punto de encuentro de los ejes sagrados del mundo: aquí el eje celeste se cruzaba con el eje terrestre y este encuentro se marcó con cuatro obeliscos que mandaron levantar Tutmosis I y Tutmosis II, dos cada uno, pero de los que hoy sólo queda uno de Tutmosis I, con 23 metros de altura y un peso de 143 toneladas.

Este gran espacio cuadrado era el Ipet-Sut, el templo de Amón en sentido estricto, pero hoy apenas quedan ruinas. En el Imperio Medio contenía un edificio de caliza blanca sobre cuyo eje se sucedían tres capillas consecutivas, todas con sus umbrales de granito rosa, la última de las cuales debió de ser el santuario primitivo, el edificio con el que se inició el templo de Karnak, en el que se hallaba el pedestal de alabastro de la sala principal o naos, con una inscripción de Sesostris I de la que subsisten sólo fragmentos. Este templo inicial del Imperio Medio se conservó hasta el reinado de Hatshepsut, una inscripción de la cual nos informa que lo precedía una sala de festivales, probablemente hipóstila. Delante de la misma, Hatshepsut edificó un templo de planta rectangular con muchas estancias interiores. El centro del nuevo templo fue reformado por su sucesor Tutmosis III, instalando el que fue probablemente la sala central del santuario hasta la época de Alejandro Magno, cuando el ya milenario sancta sanctorum fue reemplazado por el ahora existente, una capilla construida en honor de Filipo Arrideo (323-317 aC), hermanastro y breve sucesor temporal de Alejandro Magno, decorada con relieves que reflejan la habilidad de los reyes macedonios en congraciarse con la religión egipcia a fin de legitimarse como faraones legítimos. Esta herencia la asumieron después los restantes faraones de la dinastía tolemaica y más tarde los emperadores romanos, lo que explica que la naos de Arrideo se haya conservado excepcionalmente bien.

Entre el cuarto y el quinto pilono, construidos ambos en la época de Tutmosis I, se encuentra un vestíbulo transversal, llamado antiguamente Uagit (“el verdeante”), adornado en origen con grandes columnas. Aquí Tutmosis I y Hatshepsut mandaron levantar sus dos obeliscos, de los cuales sólo permanece uno entero, aún más alto que el de Hatshepsut en el espacio anterior. Hay también los Pilares Heráldicos de Tutmés III, con los relieves de los papiros representativos del Bajo Egipto y los lirios del Alto Egipto, que sostenían el arquitrabe de la llamada Sala de los Anales, en el que se relatan las campañas del faraón y se inventarían las ofrendas del botín que había hecho al templo de Amón; columnas de pórticos hoy demolidos; estatuas osíricas de los faraones de la dinastía ramesida; y un coloso de Amón y otro de Amonet con el sensual estilo post-Amarna.

Thutmose I encargó a Ineni las obras en el Ipetsut y así se inicia la gran remodelación del Templo de Amón llevada a cabo durante la primera mitad de la Dinastía XVIII. Comenzó construyendo una sala hipóstila de no muy grandes dimensiones (70 x 10m) a cuyos extremos más anchos situó dos pilonos. Desde Hatshepsut, o quizás desde el reinado de su padre, a esa sala hipóstila se la denomina Uagit, palabra derivada de Uad que significa columna papiriforme y también verde, como la palma de papiro, planta cuya forma reproduce el jeroglífico. Hoy sólo quedan parte de dos de las columnas, ambas situadas en el extremo norte de la sala, que eran de un solo tallo.

El techo del Uagit era probablemente de madera. Fue en esta sala donde Hatshepsut, en el año 16 de su reinado, hizo colocar dos impresionantes obeliscos de casi 30 metros de altura, conmemorando su Heb Sed

Thutmose III envolvió la base de estos obeliscos con un murete del que persisten restos, y sustituyó el techo de cedro de la reina por otro de piedra, dejando dos orificios por donde salían los extremos de los obeliscos. Fue también Thutmose III quien mandó erigir 12 columnas más, 4 al lado norte y 8 en el lado sur, algo diferentes de las de su abuelo, pero manteniendo la forma de papiro. Se cree que estaban recubiertas con una lámina de oro. Por último, su hijo Amenhotep II, también quiso dejar su huella en esta sala decorando las columnas con inscripciones, y afirma haber construido alguna de ellas en la parte Sur sin que ningún autor le dé crédito.

Aunque no lo menciona en la estela, Ineni situó colosos osiriacos, símbolo de la eterna renovación dinástica, con la efigie de Thutmose I. Están adosados a los muros de la sala, y con ellos inició la práctica de apostar estatuas en el interior de los edificios con estricta función arquitectónica. El rey aparece al norte del Uagit con sudariom umiforme y tocado con la Corona Roja del Bajo Egipto, mientras que al sur lleva la Corona Blanca del Alto Egipto. En ambas representaciones lleva un anx en cada mano. Las figuras osiriacas de Senuseret I, hoy en el Museo de El Cairo, así como las de Thutmose III en la cara norte del Séptimo Pilono son del mismo tipo. Colosos como estos debía haber también en el templo funerario de Thutmose I, como se verá más adelante.

Esta sala hipóstila había sido adaptada para procesiones ceremoniales, pues Thutmose III estaba el Uagit norte cuando la efigie de Amón le señaló en la procesión de un festival, eligiéndole como rey de Egipto. Según Barguet, se usaba para algunas de las celebraciones del Heb Sed y para la coronación, que se oficiaba en Karnak. Era en el Uagit donde se producía el momento cumbre de esta ceremonia, consistente en la imposición de las dos coronas sobre la cabeza del nuevo monarca.

El situado delante del Uagit es el actual Pilono IV. Cuando se construyó se convirtió en la verdadera entrada del templo y en el límite del camino que iba a Luxor, en el eje Norte-Sur. Ineni afirma haberlo hecho de piedra de caliza, muy probablemente de Tura, una cantera de calcárea blanca situada cerca de la actual capital de Egipto, El Cairo. Es posible que el interior del pilono fuera de arenisca y que se recubriera con la calcárea antes mencionada. Hoy, salvo en el basamento, no queda nada de la piedra de Tura, seguramente por servir de cantera para otras construcciones. De este pilono partía un muro que rodeaba el recinto del Reino Medio por ambos lados norte y sur, cerrándolo a la altura de donde hoy comienza el Ajmenu de Thutmose III. El patio que creó con este cerramiento tenía una columnata de osiriacos del rey.

El actual Pilono V, mucho más pequeño que el cuarto, es el segundo edificado por Ineni. También estaba construido con arenisca y cubierto de piedra calcárea. Partiendo de él salía otro muro que rodeaba el patio del Reino Medio y corría paralelo al que salía del Pilono IV.

Los obeliscos que Ineni hizo para el Ipetsut son una de sus obras más espectaculares. Se construyeron en granito de Assuán y se erigieron delante del Pilono IV. Su texto de dedicación dice: ‘El Horus Todopoderoso, amado de Maat, el Rey del Alto y Bajo Egipto Aajeperkara, imagen de Amón”. Es como un monumento suyo que ha hecho para su padre Amón Ra, señor de las Dos Tierras, para quien se erigieron dos grandes obeliscos a la entrada del templo con el piramidión de dorado.

Hoy sólo permanece en pie el meridional, mientras trozos del septentrional yacen en el suelo. Su derrumbe es relativamente reciente, pues los viajeros del siglo XVIII vieron ambos en pie. Tiene una altura de 19,50 m y pesa alrededor de 143 Tn. encontrándose ligeramente inclinado. El significado religioso de estas construcciones está relacionado con el culto solar, al que se debe añadir una intencionalidad propagandística de la grandeza del faraón, como es el caso de Ramsés II que utilizó los obeliscos para narrar sus victorias militares. Tenían un carácter divino en sí mismos, por eso, Thutmose III deja en Karnak una fundación de panes para sus cuatro obeliscos. Eran también una ofrenda del rey a Amón Ra, y su erección era un acontecimiento celebrado por todos, como puede apreciarse en la representación de la fiesta de los obeliscos de la primera terraza del Djeser Djeseru de Hatshepsut

Las inscripciones de este obelisco explican claramente los motivos de la reina para efectuar esta donación y también hacen hincapié en que cada obelisco se fabricó a partir de un sólo monolito de granito y de que fueron revestidos de dorado de primera calidad. En cada cara de los monumentos se empieza por indicar los nombres y los títulos de la soberana y a continuación se detallan aspectos diversos de la donación. Entre ellos destacan por la información que aportan las inscripciones de las caras oeste y este, pues en ellas se dice que los obeliscos fueron erigidos en honor de Amón en memoria de su padre Tutmosis I (aunque ésta, entre otras particularidades del texto, probablemente fuera un reflejo del intento de legitimizar el reinado de la reina).Al hablar de la soberana, las inscripciones se refieren a ella de manera alternada como hija y como hermana de Amón.

Tras la muerte de Hatshepsut, aunque no inmediatamente, su sucesor Tutmosis III, hizo que los obeliscos de su antecesora quedaran atrapados y semi ocultos tras los altos muros y construcciones que el realizó, pero lo único que consiguió fue protegerlos. Es decir, Tutmosis III dio su aspecto definitivo a esta sala, rodeando los obeliscos con un muro alto y macizo, unido al quinto pilono mediante dos paredes en cada una de las cuales se abría una puerta, formando así una especie de antecámara. Tutmosis III también construyó varios obeliscos los cuales fueron trasladados a diferentes capitales occidentales tales como Roma, Londres, Nueva York o Estambul.

Tras el patio, la Capilla de la Barca Sagrada, de granito rojo, dividida en dos salas, la exterior, en donde se presentaban ofrendas ante el dios y la interior destinada a guardar su barca.

Del Patio Central o del Imperio Medio no conserva ni una sola de las estructuras que en su día se alzaban en él. Tan sólo quedan los restos de un pedestal de alabastro sobre el que descansaba la capilla del santuario primitivo y dos bloques que rememoran una estructura anterior, posiblemente una de las cámaras contiguas a la capilla.

Sobrepasado el sexto pilono se penetra en el gran patio que se remonta al Imperio Medio (hay restos de la época de Sesostris I). El sexto pilono, que contiene la célebre lista de las naciones dominadas por Egipto (en su cara Oeste; en la parte Norte figuran las ciudades de Asia y en la parte Sur las de África). Se crearon nuevas antecámaras, prolongando los muros de unión entre el V y VI pilonos. En estas cámaras, totalmente oscuras, se retiraba el dios Amón por la noche (imagen del mundo subterráneo). Sus muros laterales estaban perforados por puertas que comunicaban con los antiguos patios.

La segunda de estas antecámaras en la que se conoce por “Sala de los Anales”, en razón de los textos históricos grabados sobre sus muros; en ellos se relatan las expediciones guerreras de Thutmosis III.

El techo estaba sujeto por admirables pilares heráldicos que, en alto relieve, exhibían las flores emblemáticas del Bajo y alto Egipto (el papiro y el loto). El techo sostenido por estos pilares cubría una capilla de granito rosa para la barca sagrada. Esta edificación ocupó el lugar que anteriormente había utilizado la capilla roja de Hatshepsut. En esta misma sala es donde el rey erigió los dos célebres obeliscos construidos en electrum macizo, que tenían siete metros de altura y un peso de treinta y siete toneladas cada uno de ellos (ese botín fue arrancado del lugar cuando los asirios saquearon el templo en el año 665 a. de C.)

Al final del patio, Tutmosis III levantó un edificio de grandes proporciones, el llamado Men-Khaper-Re-Akh-Menu, donde el nombre específico Akh-Menu significa “Brillante de Monumentos”, vulgarmente conocido hoy como “Palacio del Festival” o “Sala de las fiestas”, una pequeña pero hermosa sala hipóstila sostenida por dos hileras de 10 columnas y una de 32 pilares rectangulares. Fue utilizada originariamente como escenario de la fiesta del Sed, en la que el faraón agradecía a los dioses de Egipto haberle otorgado un venturoso reinado.

A continuación se encuentra el llamado “Jardín botánico”, constituido por un conjunto de salas, destacando las cuatro columnas papiriformes fasciculadas. Los muros están decorados sobre todo con relieves que representan de plantas y de animales de Egipto pero también de procedencia exótica, principalmente de Siria y de Palestina, donde el gran faraón guerrero Tutmosis III había emprendido numerosas campañas militares, o bien animales inventados, a guisa de un bestiario egipcio, que pueblan la Tierra de los Dioses.

Después de este espacio hay un ámbito reservado, al que sólo tenían acceso el faraón y los sacerdotes, que comprende una serie de estancias con patios menores.

Finalmente se llega al santuario, que se encuentra en el centro del templo, donde se guardaba la imagen sagrada de Amón-Ra. Como en el antiguo Egipto la construcción de los templos se iniciaba siempre por el santuario esto significa que Karnak se comenzó por el centro y se terminó de construir por las entradas al recinto.

Aquí comienza una serie de cuatro patios separados por otros tantos pilonos que enlazaban el templo de Amón con el de Mut, situado al sur de aquél. El Pilono VII, de Tutmés III, delimita un patio que se hizo célebre cuando en el año 1905 se hallaron en él 779 estatuas de piedra y unas 17.000 de bronce que los sacerdotes de los últimos tiempos ptolemaicos enterraron en fosas de catorce metros de profundidad.

Junto a los colosos y obeliscos de Tutmés, hechos pedazos en su mayoría, el ala occidental del Pilono VII conserva una buena parte de la habitual representación del faraón sacrificando a una redada de prisioneros, en una grandilocuente relación de su campaña asiática

Siguiendo el eje norte-sur, que se destaca del eje este-oeste a nivel del espacio comprendido entre el tercer y el cuarto pilono, se penetra en el patio denominado “de la cachette” porque hacia1901-1905 el arqueólogo francés Georges Legrain descubrió un escondrijo en fosas de hasta 14 metros de profundidad, en el que los sacerdotes de Amón habían colocado, probablemente al final de la época tolemaica, diecisiete mil estatuillas de bronce y cerca de 779 grandes estatuas de piedra.

El “patio de la cachette” está delimitado al sur por el séptimo pilono a cuyo flanco se encuentra el lago sagrado, de 125 metros de largo por 77 de ancho, que simbolizaba el océano primordial, del que fue creado el mundo y en cuyas aguas alimentadas por el Nilo, según escribe Herodoto, nadaban las ocas consagradas a Amón y en especial una variedad más salvaje, los gansos

El Pilono VIII fue erigido por Hatshepsut, y el IX y X por Horemheb, siguiendo un eje curvado que va a tener una justa correspondencia en el templo de que hablamos a continuación.

Primero, hacia el Este, se hallan las ruinas del enorme templo construido por Amenofis IV (1370-1352 a.C.), antes de renombrarse como Akhenatón cuando abandonó Tebas por su nueva capital Akhet-Atón en Amarna.

El octavo pilono es fácil de reconocer, sobre todo por los colosos que se encuentran delante, como el que os muestro en la foto, un coloso de calcita blanca construido en época de Amenhotep II.

Probablemente, lo más interesante de esta zona es el templete de Amenhotep II que se encuentra a la derecha.

Originariamente, este templo estaba en otro lugar y fue Seti I quien los transportó piedra a piedra hasta su emplazamiento actual.

En una de sus paredes externas hay un interesante texto que nos habla de Piankh. Además, este texto nos relata uno de los oráculos de Amón, que es una de las características del estado teocrático que representaba Egipto en esa época.

El pilono fue construido en época de Horemheb

El décimo pilono, también erigido por Horemheb, se asoma al recinto externo del templo, desde el que se inicia un dromos de esfinges, nuevamente criocéfalas que une el templo de Amón con el de Mut; de aquí partía un segundo dromos con esfinges androcéfalas que unía Karnak con Luxor.

La puerta del pilono 10 os decía que da a la Avenida de las Esfinges, más concretamente a la Avenida de las Esfinges que se dirige al Templo de Mut (la que va directamente al Templo de Luxor sale de la puerta que está frente al Templo de Khonsu).

Esta Avenida está siendo restaurada en los últimos años, aunque la mayoría de esfinges están en mal estado. De hecho, hay un proyecto aprobado y, por tanto, firme, de restaurar toda la Avenida de Esfinges que está entre el Templo de Karnak y el Templo de Luxor.

Puerta de Bab el-Amara

Hay un disco alado con un ureo a cada lado y está protegido por las alas del buitre. Debajo hay varias viñetas con escenas de ofrendas de los ptolomeos a diversos dioses y diosas así como, en ambos extremos, una representación de la carrera ritual del Heb Sed.

Fuentes.

AA.VV. [youtube.com/watch?v=QXDipKxgU24] Reconstrucción digital de la evolución del complejo de Karnak, entre otras animaciones en 3D, en Digital Karnak Project, de University of California en Los Angeles (UCLA).

AA.VV. Historias de arte para Bachillerato de editoriales Algaida, Anaya, Edebé, ECYR, Santillana, SM, Teide,Vicens Vives...

Aldred, Cyril; et al. El Egipto del crespúsculo. Col. Uni-ver-so de las For-mas. Agui-lar. Madrid. 1980. 337 pp.

Aldred, Cyril. Arte egipcio. Destino. Barcelona. 1993 (1980). 252 pp.

Baines, John; Málek, Jaromír. Atlas of Ancient Egypt. Phaidon. Nueva York. 1985 (1980). 240 pp.

Brotons G, Javier. [www.egiptologia.com/arqueologia/55-el-templo-de-karnak.html] Es la fuente principal para el templo de Karnak.

Clayton, Peter A. Redescubrimiento del Antiguo Egipto. Artistas y viajeros del siglo XIX. Del Serbal. Barcelona. 1985 (1982). 192 pp.

Donadoni, Sergio. L'art égyptien. Livre de Poche. París. 1993. 670 pp.

Drioton, Étienne; Vandier, Jacques. Historia de Egipto. EUDEBA. Buenos Aires. 1983 (1938 francés). 645 pp.

Eggebrecht, Arne (dir.). El antiguo Egipto. Plaza & Janés. Barce-lona. 1984 (alemán). 479 pp.

López, Francisco. [www.egiptologia.org/arte/templos/luxor/] Es la fuente principal para el templo de Luxor.

Padró, Josep. Historia del Egipto faraónico. Alianza. Madrid. 1996. 484 pp.

Smith, William Stevenson. Arte y arquitectura del Antiguo Egipto. Col. Pelican History of Art. Revisión póstuma por William Kelly Simpson. Cátedr-a. Madrid. 2000. 462 pp. 420 ilus.

Trigger, B. G.; Kemp, B. J.; O'Connor, D.; Lloyd, A. B. His-toria del Egip-to Antiguo. Crí-ti-ca. Bar-celona. 1985 (1983 inglés). 548 pp.