Karnak temples
This great temple of Egypt has no equal . it's not a single temple , but a complex , mainly dedicated to the triad of Thebes Amon - Re , his wife Mut & their son Khonso .
where almost all the pharaohs of the new kingdom wished to record their names and deeds for posterity .
Karnak is the biggest temple complex in the world, covering an area of 100 hectares and there is nowhere more impressive to the first-time visitor.
In ancient times, Karnak was known as Ipet-isut, ‘The most select of places’.
mainly temples were built from inside to outside . the entrance now is the last to be built in the temple .
the oldest part dates back to the middle kingdom 1700 b.c . and the last part dates back to the 30th dynasty , the end of the new kingdom 950 b.c
the entrance
A sphinx avenue . body of a lion and a ram head , which is symbol of god Amon , with a little statue of the king , Ramses 2nd , under the chin of the ram . means that the king is protected by the lion & the god Amon .
the pylon 40 mts high . which is unfinished , you can see that the wall to the right is lower than the one to the left .
the first court
behind the first court is the clue to how the ancient egyptians could built high walls like these . a mud brick ramp was used as a scaffolding , then make the decoration from top to bottom , as they remove the mud brick ramp layer by layer .
The first court
In the first court you see to the left the 3 shrines of the triad of Thebes & the mud rapm to the right & the high column of king Taharqa in the middle .
to the right is a small temple of Ramses 3rd .
first court
The statue of Ramses 2nd of granite , actually was found buried under the ruins of the northern tower
little statue for his royal wife queen Nefertari between his legs
he is holding the royal symbols in his hands . and a dagger under his belt
The great hypostyle hall
This is the most stunning part in the temple
134 columns arranged in 16 rows . has been built by Seti 1st & his son Ramses 2nd . dates back to 1300 B.c
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The obelisk
Now there are 2 obelisks standing in the temple
one of them for Thutmose 1 st , the other for his daughter queen Hatshepsut , her obelisk here is one of the 2 longest standing obelisks 29 mts of rose granite
The pavilion
This part have been built by king thotmoses 3rd 1500 b.c
because it still have it's ceiling so colors are well preserved here .
the place have been reused later by the Christians who painted figures of the apostles of Jesus Christ on the columns .
The sacred lake
This is the only temple in which you can see the lake , it was used for the purification of the priests
before each prayer of the 3 ones performed every day the priests wash them selves in it .
The scarab
just in front of the sacred lake you can see a big granite scarab which was symbol of resurrection , now many people believe it's for good luck .