Sunday, February 16, 2014
Karnak: Temple Complex of Ancient Egypt
Karnak is an ancient Egyptian temple precinct located on the east bank of the Nile River in Thebes (modern-day Luxor). It covers more than 100 hectares, an area larger than some ancient cities.
The central sector of the site, which takes up the largest amount of space, is dedicated to Amun-Ra, a male god associated with Thebes. The area immediately around his main sanctuary was known in antiquity as “Ipet-Sun” which means “the most select of places.”
To the south of the central area is a smaller precinct dedicated to his wife, the goddess Mut. In the north, there is another precinct dedicated to Montu, the falcon-headed god of war. Also, to the east, there is an area — much of it destroyed intentionally in antiquity — dedicated to the Aten, the sun disk.
Construction at Karnak started by 4,000 years ago and continued up until the time the Romans took control of Egypt, about 2,000 years ago. Each Egyptian ruler who worked at Karnak left his or her own architectural mark. The UCLA Digital Karnak project has reconstructed and modeled these changes online. Their model shows a bewildering array of temples, chapels, gateway shaped “pylons,” among many other buildings, that were gradually built, torn down and modified over more than 2,000 years.
Karnak would have made a great impression on ancient visitors, to say the least. “The pylons and great enclosure walls were painted white with the reliefs and inscriptions picked out in brilliant jewel-like colours, adding to their magnificence,” writes Egyptologist Heather Blyth in her book "Karnak: Evolution of a Temple" (Routledge, 2006).
“Behind the high walls, glimpses of gold-topped obelisks which pierced the blue sky, shrines, smaller temples, columns and statues, worked with gold, electrum and precious stones such as lapis lazuli must have shimmered in the dusty golden heat.”
Origins
Blyth notes that the earliest certain evidence of construction at Karnak dates to the reign of Wah-Ankh Intef II, an Egyptian ruler who lived more than 4,000 years ago. An “eight-sided” sandstone column of his bears the name of Amun-Ra and says “he [the king] made it as his monument for that god ...”
A bas relief of the god Amun-Ra making the gift of life (ankh) to the pharaoh Thutmoses IV. Sculpted in red quartzite, with traces of original paint remaining.
This, “must surely imply a temple, or at the very least, a shrine dedicated to Amun at Karnak,” Blyth writes. The UCLA Digital reconstruction team starts their digital model in the reign of king Senwosret I (reign 1971-1926 B.C.) and shows a limestone temple, with a court in the middle, dedicated to Amun-Ra. It contains 12 pillars at front the bases of which “were adorned with engaged statues of the king in the pose of Osiris [god of the underworld],” the team writes. This reconstruction is somewhat hypothetical as little of the temple remains today.
Karnak would remain a modest precinct up until the New Kingdom, a time period that ran from roughly 1550 to 1070 B.C., when work accelerated with many of the greatest buildings being constructed.
Karnak’s 'pylons'
Starting in the New Kingdom, and continuing in the centuries after, Egyptian rulers gradually created a series of 10 “pylons” at Karnak. Functioning as gateways of sorts, these pylons were connected to each other through a network of walls.
They were often decorated with scenes depicting the ruler who built them and many of them also had flag-staffs from which colorful banners would be flown.
At Karnak the pylons start near the main sanctuary and go in two directions. One set of six pylons faces west towards the Nile River and ends in an entrance lined with an avenue of small sphinxes. Another set of four pylons faces south along a processional route used for ceremonies.
Wadjet Hall
According to the UCLA Digital Karnak project the Wadjet Hall (whose name comes from the style of columns used) was first built by Thutmose I (reign 1504-1492 B.C.) near the main sanctuary, between the fourth and fifth pylons. It measures about 246 feet by 46 feet (75 meters by 14 meters) and was used for the king’s coronation and jubilee (heb-sed) festival.
The heb-sed festival generally took place 30 years after a king came to the throne and then every three years afterwards. “During the festival, the king ran around a heb-sed court performing feats of strength to demonstrate his ability to continue to rule Egypt,” writes researcher Pat Remler in her book "Egyptian Mythology, A to Z" (Chelsea House, 2010).
Hatshepsut & Thutmose III
Hatshepsut was a female pharaoh of Egypt who reigned from roughly 1479 to 1458 B.C. At Karnak she renovated the main sanctuary at Karnak, creating in its place a “Palace of Ma’at.” She also created a chapel made of red quartzite to hold the god’s portable bark (boat).
When Hatshepsut’s successor, Thutmose III, came to the throne, he ordered the destruction of images of the female pharaoh and had her quartzite chapel destroyed and replaced with one of his own.
His legacy at Karnak was not all destructive as he ordered construction of the Ahkmenu, a pillared structure built on the east side of the central sanctuary. It contains a list of Egyptian kings going back to before the Great Pyramids were built.
He also created a “contra temple” adjacent to the Ahkmenu. “Known as the ‘chapel of the hearing ear,’ the shrine allowed the populace of Thebes to petition a statue of the king with Amun-Ra,” writes the Digital Karnak team. In addition the king built a “sacred lake” to the south of the main sanctuary.
Columns in the Great Hypostyle Hall at Karnak.
The Great Hypostyle Hall
Perhaps the most fantastic building at Karnak was the “Great Hypostyle Hall” built just to the west to the main sanctuary, along the main entranceway. Built by Seti (also called Sety) I, a king who ruled from 1290 to 1279 B.C., it covers an area “large enough to accommodate the whole of Paris' Notre Dame Cathedral” writes the University of Memphis Great Hypostyle Hall Project team on their website.
The building is about 337 feet (103 meters) by 170 feet (52 meters). The researchers note that there are 134 columns in total, the largest twelve of which are 70 feet (21 meters) high and support the central part of the structure. The other 122 columns are about 40 feet (12 meters) tall.
On the outside walls are scenes showing Seti and his successor, Ramesses II, smiting enemies from Libya, Syria and the Levant. Shortly after it was constructed, the hall likely became the setting for coronation and heb-sed ceremonies, replacing the Wadjet hall in this function.
Khonsu Temple
Khonsu was the child of Amun-Ra and the goddess Mut. A temple dedicated to him at Karnak was built, appropriately, placed between the main sanctuary of Amun-Ra and the southern precinct that honored Mut.
Built by Ramesses III, a king who reigned from 1186 to 1155 B.C., the temple is about 230 feet (70 meters) by 88 feet (27 meters). The columns in its hall measure about 23 feet (7 meters) tall. “The temple contained not only a suite of rooms for the housing of the statue of the god, but also a separate bark (boat) chamber,” writes the digital Karnak team.
Taharqa
Construction continued at Karnak periodically after the end of the New Kingdom. King Taharqa, who reigned around 2,700 years ago, was part of a dynasty of rulers from Nubia (modern-day Sudan) who came to control much of Egypt. He was interested in Karnak’s “sacred lake” and built the “edifice of the lake” beside it, a partly underground monument.
Today it’s badly damaged although mysterious, “this is a puzzling and enigmatic monument that has no parallels” writes Blyth. “It was “dedicated to Re-Horakhte [a combination of two sky gods], which would explain the open solar court above ground, while the subterranean rooms symbolised the sun’s nocturnal passage through the underworld.” Among its features was a “nilometer” a structure used to measure the water level of the Nile that. In this case, the meter would have had a symbolic use.
Nectanebo I and the end
The last major building program at Karnak was carried out by Nectanebo I, a king of the 30th, and final, dynasty of ancient Egypt. He reigned between 380 and 362 B.C. After his dynasty ended, Egypt would be ruled by people descended from Persia, Greece or Rome.
Nectanebo built a large enclosure wall around the site along with an additional temple. He also began construction of a new pylon at Karnak at the western entrance (although he wasn’t able to finish it).
The rulers of foreign descent who took control of Egypt continued work at Karnak to some degree. Ptolemy IV (reign 221-205 B.C.) would create a series of ritual catacombs dedicated to Osiris, god of the underworld.
“The building functioned as a ‘hypogeum,’ an underground burial place. Many of these are known from ancient Egypt, although typically these spaces contained burials for sacred animals. The Karnak example instead served for the burial of small statuettes of Osiris,” writes the digital Karnak team.
After Egypt fell under the control of Rome in 30 B.C., work at Karnak petered out, the great monument becoming the magnificent archaeological site it is today.
Citadel & Mohammed Ali Mosque, Cairo
Commandingly situated at the foot of the Moqattam' Hills, the Citadel was begun in 1176 by Saladin, who is said to have used stone from the small pyramids at Giza. Of the original structure nothing now remains but the outer walls on the east side and a few towers in the interior; and the two palaces of the Ayyubid period, which were already half destroyed at the time of Selim's entry into the city, have disappeared almost without trace. Long in military occupation and closed to visitors, the Citadel is now to be restored and opened to the public.
Cairo Citadel Map
Mohammed Ali Mosque
View from the Mohammed Ali Mosque
From the west corner of the mosque there is a magnificent view of the gray city with its innumerable minarets and domes and, now, its high rise blocks; in the distance can be seen the Pyramids of Giza.
Mohammed Ali Mosque - Forecourt
The forecourt of the Alabaster Mosque, with a fountain for ablutions, is surrounded by vaulted galleries.
Mohammed Ali Mosque - Prayer Hall
Adjoining the forecourt on the east is the prayer hall, with Byzantine style domes resting on four square piers, impressive both for its size and for the manner in which it is lit.
Mohammed Ali Mosque - Tomb of Mohammed Ali
To the right of the entrance is the Tomb of Mohammed Ali (d. 1849).
El-Nasir Mosque
Joseph's Well
Just to the south of the El-Nasir Mosque can be seen Joseph's Well, a square shaft 290ft/88m deep which probably dates from the time of Saladin, and has a spiral staircase running down the sides. Half way down is a platform on which oxen formerly worked a wheel to bring up water.
Bab el-Moqattam
Northeast of the well is the Bab el-Moqattam, the main south gate of the Citadel, from which a road runs southeast to Fort Mohammed Ali in the Moqattam Hills.
Military Museum
There is a Military Museum in Cairo.
It is housed in the Citadel and features weapons and costumes from ancient periods highlighting warfare in Egypt.
Great Temple of Amun, Karnak
The Great Temple of Amun, founded at least as early as the beginning of the 12th Dynasty (c. 1991-c. 1785 B.C.), is not built to a single unified plan but represents the building activity of many successive rulers of Egypt, who vied with one another in adding to and adorning this great national sanctuary. Amenophis I built a second temple alongside the main temple, but this was soon removed. When Tuthmosis I made Thebes capital of the New Kingdom the original modest temple no longer seemed adequate to the power of the god, and the King, therefore, added a large court bounded on the west by a Pylon (V) and surrounded by colonnades with Osiris pillars. Later he erected in front of this another Pylon (IV) with an enclosing wall, set up two obelisks in front of it and built a colonnade between the two pylons.
History
In the reign of Hatshepsut various additions and alterations were made in the interior. In front of the temple of the Middle Kingdom, in Tuthmosis I's court, she built a special shrine and set up two obelisks between the Fourth and Fifth Pylons, besides rebuilding the colonnade itself. Hatshepsut's stepson, nephew, son-in-law and co-ruler Tuthmosis III continued to make alterations when he became sole ruler, pulling down most of the colonnades in Tuthmosis I's court and replacing them by rows of small chapels. The Sixth Pylon was now built, and the court between this pylon and Hatshepsut's shrine, which had been enlarged by the addition of a vestibule, was surrounded by colonnades. Tuthmosis I's colonnade between the Fourth and Fifth Pylons was extensively rebuilt, apparently with the object of concealing Hatshepsut's obelisks from view. In front of Tuthmosis I's obelisks two new ones were set up. Some 20 years later Tuthmosis III resumed his building activity, adding the two Halls of Records and the vestibules between the Fifth and Sixth Pylons as well as building the large Festival Temple at the east end. On the main front of the temple Amenophis III built still another pylon (III).
All these 18th Dynasty buildings, however, were thrown into the shade by the work ofthe 19th Dynasty kings. Ramesses I erected the Second Pylon, and between this and the Third Pylon Sethos I and Ramesses II built the great hypostyle hall which has remained ever since one of the chief marvels of Egyptian architecture. Ramesses II also built a new enclosure wall. With this the building of the great temple came, for the time being, to an end. The temples erected by Sethos II and Ramesses III were independent buildings outside the main temple.
Then the Libyan Kings of Bubastis (22nd Dynasty) revived the traditions of the earlier Pharaohs. In front of Ramesses I's pylon Sheshonq built a large court with colonnades along the sides, incorporating in it half of Ramesses III's temple and erecting a large pylon (I) on its west side. Later the Ethiopian ruler Taharqa (25th Dynasty) built in the center of this court, a kiosk like building with ten colossal columns. Thereafter the temple remained largely unaltered, apart from the addition of the granite Chapel of Philip Arrhidaeus; little building work was done by the Ptolemies. The decline and decay of the temple began in the Roman Imperial period.
The excavation and study of the Great Temple of Amun and its subsidiary temples is still far from complete. Under the Akhenaten Temple Project at present in progress, begun by the University Museum of Pennsylvania and carried on jointly by the Egyptian Department of Antiquities and the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., computer analysis is being used to identify, date and classify architectural elements and stones bearing reliefs. It will thus be possible to reconstruct earlier buildings which had been pulled down and reused in the structure of later ones.
First Pylon
Going south from the Temple of Khons in the direction of the Nile, we soon come to the first pylon of the Great Temple of Amun, which can also be reached direct on a road branching off the main Nile Valley road. The rectangular terrace in front of the pylon was subject to flooding in ancient times, as it shows by the marks on its front recording the heights reached by the inundation under the 21st-26th Dynasties. On the terrace is a small obelisk erected by Sethos II; of the other one of the pair only the base is left. From here an avenue of rams dating from the reign of Ramesses II led to the temple. The ruins to the southwest of the right hand tower of the pylon belong to a chapel built by King Achoris and his successor Psammuthis; on the inside wall, to the right and left, Psammuthis is depicted offering incense to the sacred barque of Amun.
The gigantic First Pylon, built in the time of the Ethiopian kings, is 370ft/113m wide, with walls 49ft/15m thick, and still stands 143ft/43.50m high. It was left unfinished, and indeed fragments of the scaffolding of sun dried brick used during its construction can still be seen. High up on the right hand side of the doorway is an inscription recording the latitude and longitude of the principal Egyptian temples as established by the French savants who accompanied Napoleon's expedition to Egypt in 1799, and opposite this on the left-hand side is an inscription by an Italian learned society recording the magnetic deviation (10° 56") as calculated by them in 1841. There is a magnificent view from the platform on the top of the pylon, which is reached by a staircase on the north tower.
Great Court
Beyond the pylon is the Great Court, which dates from the 22nd Dynasty. It is 338ft/103m wide by 276ft/84m deep, with colonnades on both sides. The south colonnade is interrupted by the front part of Ramesses III's temple.
In the north colonnade is a doorway leading out of the court. The staircase to the top of the pylon can be reached by going through this door and turning left along the outside of the walls.
Beyond the pylon is the Great Hypostyle Hall, justifiably regarded as one of the wonders of the world. Although the work of the Egyptian Department of Antiquities in restoring it and stablizing its foundations has deprived it of the picturesqueness of its former ruinous state, this huge hall still exerts an overwhelming effect on the beholder. Measuring 338ft/103m by 171ft/52m, it covers an area of 53,800sq.ft/5,000sq.m (compared with the 87,400sq.ft/8,275sq.m of St Paul's, London and the 163,200sq.ft/15,450sq.m of St Peter's, Rome). The roof was supported on 134 columns, in 16 rows. The two central rows, which are higher, consist of papyrus columns with open capitals, while the other rows have closed capitals. The roof of the central aisle, 80ft/24m high, rested on the two central rows of columns and on one of the lower rows on each side, the difference in height being made good by square pillars on top of the lower columns. Between these pillars were windows with stone lattice work (one of which, on the south side, is almost perfectly preserved). The lateral aisles are 33ft/10m lower than the central ones.
The columns are built up from semi-drums 3.5ft/1.10m high and 6.5ft/2m in diameter, of reddish-brown sandstone. The 12 taller columns in the two central rows have a diameter of 11.5ft/3.57m and a girth of more than 33ft/10m - roughly the same as Traian's Column in Rome and the Vend6me Column in Paris. The height of the columns is 69ft/21m, of the capitals 11ft/3.34m. The 122 columns of the lateral aisles have a height of 43ft/13m and a girth of 27.5ft/8.40m.
In the side walls of the hypostyle hall are doorways leading out of the temple. At the northwest corner a door leads into a corridor, at the end of which is a staircase mounting to the roof of the north tower of the Second Pylon. At the northeast corner a door gives access to a staircase which leads to the roof of the hypostyle hall. From another staircase to the left of the south doorway there is a fine general view of the hypostyle hall. Beside the southeast doorway is a staircase mounting to the roof of the Third Pylon.
To the right of the main entrance to the hypostyle hall is the frame, rather in the shape of a door, which once contained a memorial stela of Ramesses II. In front of it is an alabaster slab with a relief of prostrate enemies, and to the left of the door a colossal double statue of Amun and Ramesses II.
The walls of the hall, the shafts of the columns, the abaci and the architraves and covered with inscriptions and reliefs of kings making offerings, many of which have preserved their original coloring. Those in the northern half of the hall (as far as the tenth row of columns), which date from the reign of Sethos I, are in delicate low relief; those in the southern half, dating from the reign of Ramesses II, are in cruder sunk relief. Only one column, the first in the sixth row, bears the name of Ramesses I; later Ramesses III, IV, VI and XII also recorded their names.
Among the fine reliefs of Sethos I's reign the most notable are those on the north wall. To the left of the north side door, below: Sethos in front of the sanctuary, in which is the sacred barque of Amun; Sethos conducted into the temple by the falcon headed Month and Atum; procession of the sacred barque; above, Sethos in presence of the gods of Thebes. To the right of the door, below: Sethos offering incense before the sacred barque, conducted into the temple, kneeling in the chapel before Amun and Khons and receiving the symbols of a long reign; above, Sethos making offerings to Amun in various forms; Sethos kneeling before the god Harakhty, who is seated under a canopy, and behind him the lion-headed goddess Werthekaw with a palm branch from which hang various symbols; to the left, the King kneeling under the sacred tree of Heliopolis, with Thoth inscribing his name on the leaves. Among the mural reliefs of Ramesses II, probably connected with his visit to Thebes in the first year of his reign, those to the right and left of the south side door are of particular interest. To the right, Ramesses burning incense in front of the sacred barque of Amun, which is borne by priests (those in front with falcon masks, those to the rear with jackal masks); Ramesses beside the barque clad in a panther skin as a priest; behind, the barques of Khons and Mut, borne by priests. To the left, below, the King in front of the chapels containing the sacred barques of Amun, Mut and Khons; farther left, the King kneeling before Amun, Mut and Khons under the sacred tree of Heliopolis and receiving the symbols of a long reign, while Thoth inscribes his name on the leaves. In the south aisle are two fine sandstone statues of Sethos (headless).
To the south of Ramesses II's enclosure wall round the Temple of Amun lies the Sacred Lake (Arabic Birket el-Mallaha, "Lake of the Salt Pan"; the water of the lake is slightly saline). The walls encircling the lake are well preserved on the west, south and north sides, from which steps lead down to the water. On the north side is a structure built by Tuthmosis III.
Near the northwest corner are the ruins of a building erected by Taharqa, and on the edge of the lake is a large granite scarab dedicated by Amenophis III to the sun god Atum-Khepri, who was represented in the form of a scarab.
Temple of Sethos II
In the north corner of the court is the small Temple of Sethos II, built on gray sandstone, with the exception of the door frames and the lower part of the walls, for which a reddish quartzose sandstone was used. It consists of three chapels dedicated respectively (from left to right) to Mut, Amun and Khons, each with niches for the image of the deity. In the right hand wall of the Chapel of Khons is a staircase leading up to the roof of the temple. Along the northwest side of the court are a number of figures of rams, which originally formed part of Ramesses II's avenue of rams and were stored here when they were removed to make way for the new buildings in the court.
Kiosk of Taharqa
The two pedestals in the middle of the court (only the base of the right hand one being preserved) were intended for statues. Beyond them is the Kiosk of Taharqa. Of its original ten columns one, on the right, has survived complete with its open capital and abacus; the five on the left have been reconstructed. The kiosk had doorways on all four sides; in front of the west door, to the right, is a recumbent sphinx. On the right hand column (restored 1927) the name of Psammetichus If has been placed over that of the Ethiopian ruler Taharqa (25th Dynasty). Adjoining it is the name of Ptolemy IV Philopator, which also appears on the abacus. The shaft of the column is composed of 25 courses of carefully dressed stone, the capital of five. The total height is 69ft/21m, the breadth of the capital 16.5ft/5m, the girth at the top of the column 49ft/15m. Between the columns were screens dating from the time of Ptolemy IV Philopator.
Temple of Ramesses III
The Temple of Ramesses III is noted as a fine example of a this type of temple built on a unified plan.
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Second Pylon
The Second Pylon, built by Ramesses II, is badly dilapidated. The towers have been freed from the ruins of later buildings erected in front of them, using stone of the Amarna period. They have the usual four vertical grooves for flagstaffs. In the center is the huge doorway, formerly preceded by a kind of small vestibule flanked by two statues of Ramesses II: one of these (on the right) still stands, of the other only the legs are left. On the right hand side of the vestibule Ramesses is depicted smiting his foes in the presence of Amun. In the doorway, which bears the cartouches of Ramesses I, Sethos I and Ramesses II, an intervening door was built by Ptolemy VI Philometor and Ptolemy IX Euergetes II during their joint reign; the lintel of this is missing but the jambs remain, with reliefs showing the King making offerings to the gods of the temple. The inner side of the earlier doorway has reliefs of the Ptolemaic period, with the same scenes on both sides. Below are the sacred barque of Amun and Ramesses III entering the temple; in the second bottom row Ramesses is depicted kneeling before Amun and holding the hieroglyph for "jubilee", behind him the goddess Mut, while Khons, wearing the lunar disc on his head, leads in Philometor; in the third row the King is seated under the sacred tree of Heliopolis, with the goddess Seshat inscribing his name on the leaves. This scene is evidently a restoration by Philometor of an earlier relief. In the other rows the King is shown in the presence of various gods.
Great Hypostyle Hall
Historical Reliefs
The outer walls of the hypostyle hall have historical reliefs depicting the victories of Sethos I (north wall) and Ramesses II (south wall) over the peoples of Palestine and Libya. They are best seen by afternoon light. East end of north wall, above: Sethos in Lebanon; the inhabitants, whose faces are sharply characterized, fell timber for him; below, a battle with the bedouin of southern Palestine; the King in his chariot launching his arrows against the enemy, with heaps of dead and wounded; to the left, above, the Fortress of Canaan, the inhabitants of which beg for mercy and help fugitives into the fortress.
Round the corner, top row (partly destroyed), from the left: 1. Battle for Yenuam in Syria. The King in his chariot shoots arrows at the enemy, whose charioteers, cavalry and infantry flee in wild confusion. On the left, the Fortress of Yenuam, surrounded by water, with fugitives hiding behind the trees (some, unusually shown in full face). 2. The King binding Syrian prisoners. 3. The King, walking behind his chariot, leads two files of captured Syrians on ropes and holds two others in each arm. 4. The King leads two files of Syrian prisoners into the presence of Amun, Mut and Khons, to whom he presents costly vessels captured from the enemy. Lower row, left to right: 1. The King's triumphal progress through Palestine. Sethos, in his chariot, turns towards the defeated Princes of Palestine, who raise their hands in homage; behind the King are a fortress and the costly vessels taken in booty; above and below the horses are small castles built to protect watering points. 2. Battle with the people of southern Palestine. The King, in his chariot, shoots arrows at the enemy, who flee into the hills; below, castles and wells, with the wounded lying beside them. 3. The King's victorious return. Sethos, in his chariot, preceded and followed by fettered prisoners. A canal, with reeds and crocodiles, marks the boundary between Egypt and Asia; at each end of a bridge is a fortified guard house; on the Egyptian side (on the right) two rows of priests (with garlands of flowers) and dignitaries wait to welcome the King. 4. The King dedicates the captured Syrian prisoners and booty to Amun.
To the right and left of the doorway are two huge reliefs: Sethos I holding enemies by the hair, with his club raised to smite them; Amun, with several rows of captured nations and cities, presenting the curved sword of victory.
On the western part of the north wall the reliefs begin at the far end and go from right to left. Top row: the storming of Qadesh in the land of Amor (northern Palestine); the King (face missing) shoots arrows from his chariot, which has overturned an enemy chariot; to the right, on a tree clad hill, the Fortress of Qadesh, the defenders of which are pierced by arrows; a herdsman and his cattle flee. Middle row: 1. Battle with the Libyans. The King, in his chariot, prepares to smite a Libyan, whom he holds with his bow; to the right, dead and wounded enemies. The Libyans are distinguishable by their long side pigtails and the featherson their heads. 2. The King transfixes a Libyan with his lance. 3. The King in his chariot, with two rows of fettered Libyan prisoners in front of him. 4. The King dedicates the prisoners and booty to the divine triad of Thebes. Bottom row: 1. Battle with the Hittites in northern Syria. The King in his chariot shooting arrows at the enemy, who flee headlong, in chariots, on horseback or on foot. 2. The King, in his chariot, holding ropes to which are fastened several prisoners and two captured chariots; in front of him are two rows of Hittite prisoners. 3. The King dedicates the prisoners and booty to the divine triad of Thebes, here accompanied by the goddess of truth.
The reliefs on the outside of the south wall of the hypostyle hall can be seen by re-entering the hall and going out by the south doorway; alternatively they can be left until after the rest of the temple has been seen, leaving by the doorway at the Seventh Pylon. These reliefs depict in similar fashion Ramesses II's victories in Syria, chiefly over the Hittites.
On the projecting wall to the east of the south doorway is an inscription recording the peace treaty with the King of the Hittites concluded by Ramesses II in the 21st year of his reign. Beyond the projecting wall, at the end of the outer wall of hypostyle hall, a relief depicts Ramesses II leading two rows of prisoners into the presence of Amun. Below is the poetic account of the Hittite campaign known as the "Poem of Pentaur" (or Pentawer). Beyond this, round the corner beside the southeast doorway (now closed) of the hypostyle hall, is a relief of Ramesses II presenting to Amun the prisoners and the costly vessels taken in the Syrian campaign.
Triumphal Inscription of Sheshonq I
To the west of the reliefs, on the south end of the Second Pylon, is the Triumphal Inscription of Sheshonq I, the Shishak of the Old Testament. It celebrates the King's victory over Rehoboam of Judah, the son of Solomon. To the left is a large figure of Amun holding in his right hand the curved sword of victory and in his left cords binding five rows of captured cities, each represented by a circuit of walls bearing its name and the upper part of the body of a fettered prisoner. The hooked noses, prominent cheekbones and beards identify the prisoners as Semitic. Below Amun is the protective goddess of the Theban nome, with a club, bow and quiver, holding cords attached to five rows of prisoners. To the right the King (figure unfinished) holds a group of cowering Semites by the hair and smites them with his club.
These campaigns by Shishak are referred to in the Bible at 1 Kings 14: 25-26 and 2 Chronicles 12: 2-4 and 9. Only a few of the cities mentioned in the reliefs can be identified with certainty; these include Rabbath (last in the first row), Taanach, Shunem, Rehob, Haphraim, Mahanaim, Gibeon, Beth-Horon, Kedemoth and Ajalon (in second row). The inscriptions, in the usual bombastic style, give no further information on the campaign.
Third Pylon
The rear wall of the Great Hypostyle Hall is formed by the Third Pylon, built by Amenophis III (reconstructed), with its projecting vestibule. Incorporated in its structure were large blocks decorated with reliefs from 13 earlier temples. On the south tower is a long inscription (top part destroyed) detailing the gifts made by the King to Amun. On the north tower can be seen the last remnants of a relief depicting a ceremonial voyage on the Nile (the King on the sacred barque of Amun, with another vessel).
Central Court
In the Central Court beyond the third pylon there were formerly four obelisks, two of them set up by Tuthmosis I and two by Tuthmosis II. One of these is still standing, together with the bases of the other three. It is 71ft/21.75m high, on a base 6ft/1.84 square, and is estimated to weigh 143 tons. On each face of the obelisk are three vertical inscriptions, the central one being the dedicatory inscription by Tuthmosis I, the other two additions by Ramesses IV and Vi. The obelisks erected by Tuthmosis I marked the entrance to the temple as it then was.
Fourth Pylon
The Fourth Pylon, built by Tuthmosis I, is in a ruinous condition. The doorway, according to the relief inscription, was restored by Alexander the Great. Beyond the pylon is a Colonnade, also ruined, which originally contained huge statues of Osiris set in niches and two obelisks of Aswan granite erected by Queen Hatshepsut, the tips of which were covered with electrum (an alloy of gold and silver). The right hand (south) obelisk lies broken on the ground, its upper part on a heap of rubble to the right; on the base are long inscriptions celebrating the power of the Queen.
The colonnade was much altered under the 18th Dynasty. As built by Tuthmosis I it had a timber roof borne on wooden columns, later replaced in stone; three stone bases still survive. Here Hatshepsut set up her two obelisks on the occasion of her Jubilee in the 16th year of her reign. Later Tuthmosis built a sandstone structure round them, concealing them to a height of some 82ft/25m; part of this structure can still be seen. The colonnade was then given a stone roof supported by two rows of papyrus columns (six on the north side, eight on the south), five of the older columns being retained. Niches were formed in the walls for statues of Tuthmosis I, which originally stood in the main court of the temple. The decoration of the south end of the colonnade was not completed until the reign of Amenophis II.
The left hand obelisk still stands erect to a height of 97ft/29.50m, with a diameter at the base of 81ft/2.65m and an estimated weight of 323 tons; it is exceeded in height only by the Lateran Obelisk in Rome (101ft/30.7m). On each of the four faces is a vertical inscription recording the dedication of the obelisks and the fact that they were constructed in only seven months. On the upper part are reliefs depicting Hatshepsut, Tuthmosis I and Tuthmosis III making offerings to Amun; the names and figures of Amun were defaced by Amenophis IV but restored by Sethos I. Against the wall to the left is a granite statue of Tuthmosis kneeling and holding an altar in front of him.
Left Hand Obelisk
Fifth Pylon
Beyond the Fifth Pylon, built by Tuthmosis I, are two small antechambers, now in a state of ruin, built by Tuthmosis III in front of the Sixth Pylon. To the right and left are courts with colonnades of 16 sided columns and statues of Osiris - remnants of the large court built by Tuthmosis I round the temple of the Middle Kingdom. In the passage leading to the north court is a colossal seated figure of Amenophis II in red granite.
Sixth Pylon
The Sixth Pylon built by Tuthmosis III, the last and smallest of all, is also in a ruined state. On the walls to right and left of the granite central doorway are lists of the cities and tribes subdued by Tuthmosis III: to the right the peoples of the southern lands, to the left "the lands of the Upper Retenu [i.e. Syria] which his majesty took in the miserable city of Meggido."
First Hall of Records
Beyond the Sixth Pylon is the First Hall of Records, built by Tuthmosis III in a court which he had constructed sometime previously. Here stand two granite pillars which once supported the roof, the one on the right (south) with the lotus, the one on the left with the papyrus, the emblems of Upper and Lower Egypt. Here, too, are the magnificent colossal statues of Amun (much restored) and the goddess Amunet, of reddish sandstone, dedicated by Tutankhamun, whose name was later chiseled out and replaced by that of his successor Horemheb.
Court
To left and right of the Hall of Records is the Court constructed by Tuthmosis III, with a colonnade of papyrus cluster columns with 16 shafts. On the rear side of the doorway leading to the southern part of the court are reliefs of Sethos II. In the east wall, on the facade of Hatshepsut's building, is a false door, once lavishly adorned with gold and lapis lazuli. On the south side are five chapels dedicated to the cult of Amenophis I.
The granite chapel, still containing a base for the sacred barque, was built during the reign of Philip Arrhidaeus (323-317 B.C.), probably on the site of an earlier structure built by Tuthmosis III, fragments of which lie outside the chapel. Constructed of pink granite, it is divided into two parts, with the front chamber opening to the west and the rear one to the east. In the east wall of the rear chamber is a double window with four steps leading up to it. The front chamber is 20ft/6m long, the rear one rather over 26ft/8m; both are covered, internallyand externally, with reliefs, some of them having well preserved coloring.
Interior walls: in the front chamber, Philip making offerings to Amun in his various forms and performing other ritual actions (figures and inscriptions picked out with bluish green pigment); rear chamber, Philip seated at table. The reliefs in the rear chamber are larger, but less well preserved, than those in the front chamber. Outer walls, south side: front chamber, in four rows (the bottom one destroyed) 1. ceremonies at the King's entrance into the temple; 2. the sacred barque of Amun borne in procession by priests; 3. the procession returning. Rear chamber, four badly damaged scenes: the King making offerings to Amun in his various forms and performing other ritual actions. On the north wall of the front chamber the King is shown offering two small trees to Amun-Kamutef; rear chamber, foundation ceremonies and various offerings.
Second Hall of Records of Tuthmosis III
On the north wall of the Second Hall of Records of Tuthmosis III, which surrounds the chapel, are long inscriptions celebrating the King's military exploits. To the right of the black granite doorway, above the inscription, is a relief of Tuthmosis III presenting gifts (two obelisks, vases, necklaces, chests) to the temple. The rooms on the north and south sides of the Hall of Records, now largely in ruins, were built by Queen Hatshepsut and decorated with reliefs, which were later chiseled out or replaced by the names of Tuthmosis III. Here, too, is a statue of Amenophis II.
To the east of this, on a lower level, an area of rubble is all that remains of the earliest temple of the Middle Kingdom. The rooms built by Tuthmosis III can be identified on the north side; in front of them was a passage in which statues of high dignitaries especially deserving of honor were set up by the Pharoahs.
Reliefs
In a room to the north of the hall of records, closed off by a black granite door, are fine reliefs, with well preserved coloring, dating from the reign of Hatshepsut. The left hand wall, which originally adjoined the north wall of the Second Hall of Records, was removed and re-erected here. The reliefs of Hatsehpsut were defaced and some of them replaced by poorly executed reliefs of Tuthmosis II and III. Note the fine figures of Amun of Karnak (depicted with a red skin) and Amun-Kamutef (with a black skin).
Great Festival Temple of Tuthmosis III
The Great Festival Temple of Tuthmosis III is entered by the main doorway at the southwest corner, in front of which are the stumps of two 16 sided columns and two statues of the King as Osiris (only the left hand one being preserved complete). From here we turn left through the antechambers into the Great Festival Hall, a five aisled basilica 144ft/44m long and 52ft/16m deep. The roof of the three central aisles was borne on two rows of ten columns and 32 square pillars. The tent pole columns are unique, indicating that the central aisles were conceived by the builder as a large festival tent. The pillars, lower than the columns, supported together with the side walls, the pentagonal roofing slabs of the lateral aisles, and also with the addition of small pillars and architraves, helped to support the roof of the central aisles. The reliefs on the pillars show Tuthmosis III in the presence of the gods. In the hall are a number of torsos of statues which were found here.
At the southwest corner of the hall is the chamber in which the "Tablet of Karnak" was found - a list of Egyptian rulers from the earliest times down to the 18th Dynasty, now in the Biblotheque Nationale in Paris. The chamber was probably used for storing the statues of earlier kings which were borne in procession by the priests. At the north end of the three central aisles are three chapels, in the most westerly of which is a colossal group of Tuthmosis III between Amun and Mut. From the northwest corner of the hall is an antechamber from which a doorway leads into a narrow corridor. On the north wall of the corridor are fine reliefs depicting Tuthmosis III offering incense to an ithyphallic Amun; the Kings pouring water over Amun, with priests and male and female singers coming in on the right; and the King pouring water on an altar and burning incense in the presence of Amun. From the northeast corner of the hall a staircase mounts within a tower like structure to a room containing an alabaster altar which may have served some astronomical purpose. The rooms on the east side of the hall are in a ruinous condition. To the northeast is a chamber with two pillars, adjoining which is a chapel (ruined) with a large granite altar. The central door in the east aisle leads to the three rooms which have preserved only the lower parts of their walls. On the north side, reached by steps, is a small room, known as the "Botanic Garden", the roof of which was borne on four well preserved paparys cluster columns with closed capitals; on the lower part of walls are representations of plants and animals brought from Syria to Egypt by Tuthmosis III in the 25th year of his reign. Steps to the south lead into the Sanctuary, adjoining which is the Alexander Room, built by Tuthmosis III, which in addition to a few reliefs dating from the reign of Tuthmosis contains inscriptions and reliefs in the name of Alexander the Great. Beyond this is a handsome hall which originally had 16 sided columns, seven of them still standing. To the east are rooms with two tiers of pillars and a corridor along the south side of the temple, off which opens two small pillared halls and seven rooms with reliefs of Turhmosis III.
Enclosure Wall
The central and eastern parts of the Temple of Amun (from the Third Pylon) are surrounded by an enclosure wall, the surviving sections of which have reliefs of Ramesses II making offerings to the gods.
Temple of Tuthmosis III
Just outside the enclosure wall, immediately east of the Festival Temple of Tuthmosis III, is another Temple of Tuthmosis III, probably a mortuary temple dedicated to the cult of the King and his aunt, stepmother, mother-in-law and co-ruler Hatshepsut. In the central chapel are colossal seated figures of the royal couple, and to the east of this is a hypostyle hall with six gigantic statues of the King as Osiris, later usurped by Ramesses II.
Temple of Ptah
The Temple of Ptah is located near to the Temple of Amun and is the best preserved of the buildings.
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Storehouse
Southeast of the Temple of Ptah, on the way to the Temple of Osiris, is a storehouse built by Shabaka, consisting of a single hall with 12 columns. Round the brick built walls are stone tables on which offerings were laid.
Sacred Lake
Granite Scarab
Seventh Pylon
Adjoining the south end of the central court of the Temple of Amun is a badly ruined court flanked by walls and bounded at the far end by the Seventh Pylon. In this court stood two temples, both demolished during the reign of Tuthmosis III; one dated from the Middle Kingdom, the other was built by Amenophis I. The fine limestone blocks from these temples, decorated with reliefs, were built into the Third Pylon erected by Amenophis III. Here, too, is the favissa or offerings pit (now filled in) in which a huge number of statues of many different periods (779 of stone and no fewer than 17,000 of bronze) were found between 1902 and 1909; most of them are now in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. They came from the Temple of Amun, and were probably buried here when they were no longer required. On the outside of the west wall of the court is inscribed Ramesses II's peace treaty with the Hittites. On the east wall is a long inscription about King Merneptah's battles with the Libyans and Mediterranean peoples (Etruscans and Achaeans), together with a relief showing the King smiting his enemies with a club in the presence of Amun.
The Seventh Pylon was built by Tuthmosis III, whose victories are celebrated on the front and rear faces. Like the Eighth Pylon, it lay on the south approach to the Temple of Amenophis I which was pulled down by Tuthmosis Ill. In front of the north facade are seven colossal statues in red granite of rulers of the Middle and New Kingdoms, in front of the south facade the lower parts of two colossal statues of Tuthmosis III, and in front of the more easterly of these figures the lower part of a large obelisk erected by Tuthmosis III.
On the east tower of the pylon is a figure of Osiris (on the front of which is a later inscription by Ramesses II) and colossal statues of Tuthmosis III. On the west tower, from left to right, are a colossal statue of Tuthmosis III wearing the double crown, an Osiris figure of Tuthmosis (the head of which has fallen off), a seated figure of a Pharaoh of the Middle Kingdom, a seated figure of Sobkhotep, a fine statue of Amenophis II and the left hand half of an inscription in the name of Horemheb.
Beside the Seventh Pylon is a modern door by which visitors usually leave the temple to see the reliefs on the outside of the south wall of the Great Hypostyle Hall. Abutting the left hand (east) wall of the court between the Seventh and Eighth Pylons is a small, badly ruined chapel dating from the reign of Tuthmosis III. Farther along the wall are reliefs of Ramesses II making offerings to the gods.
Eighth Pylon
The Eighth Pylon was built by queen Hatshepsut and is thus the oldest in the whole temple complex; it is, however, relatively well preserved. Hatshepsut's names were erased from the reliefs by Tuthmosis II. Sethos I restored the reliefs after their destruction by Amenophis IV, in many cases inserting his own name in place of those of the earlier kings. Of the reliefs on the north front the most interesting are the following. Left hand (east) tower: above, Sethos I making offerings to various deities; farther right, Tuthmosis II (originally Hatshepsut) conducted into the temple by the lion headed goddess Werthekaw, who is followed by Hathor, while behind the King priests bear the sacred barque of Amun; below, Tuthmosis I before the Theban divine triad, in front of the King an inscription relating to Hatshepsut's accession. Right hand (west) tower, left to right: Sethos I (originally Hatshepsut) conducted into the temple by the falcon headed god Month, who holds the hieroglyph for "life" to his nostrils, with priests bearing the sacred barque behind the King; upper row, right, Tuthmosis II (originally Hatshepsut) before Amun and Khons, behind him the goddess Werthekaw and Thoth, who inscribes his name on a palm branch; below, in two rows, Ramesses III before various gods. On the door jambs are inscriptions in the names of Tuthmosis II (originally Hatshepsut) and Tuthmosis Ill.
On either side of the gateway Ramesses II is depicted in the presence of various gods. The reliefs on the south front of the pylon show Amenophis II seizing fettered enemies by the hair and smiting them with his club; in front of him is Amun (added later by Sethos I). On the door jambs are inscriptions in the name of Tuthmosis II (originally Hatshepsut) and Tuthmosis III. Against the right hand jamb leans a much-damaged red granite stela recording Amenophis II's campaigns in Asia. On a side doorway on the east end of the east tower are reliefs and inscriptions by H igh Priests of Amun in the reign of Sethos 11. On the outside of the east wall of the court (facing the sacred lake) are reliefs showing the High Priest Amenhotep before Ramesses IX.
Of the four colossal seated figures of Kings in front of the south side of the Eighth Pylon the best preserved is that of Amenophis I (to west; limestone); the two figures of Tuthmosis II (the more westerly of siliceous sandstone; according to an inscription on the back, restored by Tuthmosis III in the 42nd yearof his reign) lack the upper part of the body.
Ninth Pylon
The Ninth Pylon, built by Horemheb, partly with stone from a Temple of Amenophis IV, is in a state of total ruin.
Temple of Amenophis II
Beyond the pylon is a square walled court, on the east side of which are the ruins of a small Temple of Amenophis II, probably built on the occasion of his Jubilee. It stands on a base topped by a cavetto cornice, approached by a ramp on the west side. In front is a hall with 12 square pillars decorated with reliefs. From this a granite doorway leads into a large five aisled hall, the ceiling of which was borne on 20 square pillars crowned by cavetto cornices. To the right is a smaller pillared room containing the lower part of a colossal alabaster statue; the corresponding room on the left is separated from the main chamber by a narrow corridor. The carvings on the walls and pillars are mostly done in delicate low relief, with a few in sunk relief; much of the coloring is well preserved. The reliefs depict the King before various gods.
On the east wall of the court are a number of important reliefs of King Horemheb: the King conducting into the presence of the Theban divine triad prisoners from the Land of Punt bearing costly gifts and fettered Syrian captives. On the rearside of the wall is a relief showing a procession of priests with the sacred barque. Beside this an inscription, dating from the time of the High Priest Pinudiem II, records the appointment of a priest in deference to an oracle of Amun.
Tenth Pylon
The 10th Pylon, which from the late 18th Dynasty onwards was the southern entrance to the precinct of the Temple of Amun, was built by Horemheb, using stone from a temple which Amenophis IV (Akhenaten) had erected in Karnak in honor of his new god. The reliefs on the central granite doorway show Horemheb making offerings to various gods and performing other ritual acts. In front of the north face of the pylon are two headless statues of Ramesses II, of fine grained limestone (with an adjoining figure of his wife), and the remains of a stele recording a declaration by Horemheb designed to restore order in the State. In front of the south face are the remains of two colossal statues of Amenophis III (east) and Horemheb (west); beside the statue of Amenophis is the lower part of a huge Osiris figure.
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