Karnak, Luxor

The Karnak Temple Complex, commonly known as Karnak (from Arabic Khurnak meaning "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 (around 2000-1700 BC) and continued into the Ptolemaic period (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 eighteenth dynasty Theban Triad with the god Amun as its head. It is part of the monumental city of Thebes.

Karnak Temple Visitor Center
The Karnak Temple Visitor Center is located west of the large avenue that leads to the first pylon of the Temple of Amun.

Large entrance avenue (Cult Terrace)
This large avenue runs from the Nile River to the first pylon of the Temple of Amun. This avenue is oriented northwest to southeast.

The modern entrance is placed over the end of the ancient cult terrace (or tribune), causing most visitors to miss this significant feature.
Inscribed into the terrace (though many are now eroded away) are the inundation levels for several kings of the Third Intermediate Period, collectively known as the Nile Level Texts.
The cult terrace is often mistakenly thought to be a dock or quay, but other examples, such as the one at the Hathor temple at Deir el-Medina, do not have access to water.
It was intended for the presentation of cult images.

In the opposite direction is the Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut.
Exactly in the opposite direction, on the other bank of the Nile River, we can see the Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut in the distance.

It served as a mortuary temple dedicated to Pharaoh Hatshepsut, the powerful ruler of the Eighteenth Dynasty.
Unlike typical mortuary complexes, the temple’s main axis is occupied by the sanctuary of the barque of Amun-Re.
See more at Mortuary temple of Hatshepsut - Wikipedia.

Karnak Plan
Plan Legend:

First Pylon of the Temple of Amun
Temple of Seti
Courtyard
Temple of Ramses III
Hypostyle Hall
Sanctuary
Room known as the Party room
Sacred Lake
South Pylons
Jubilee Temple of Amenhotep II
Khonsu Temple
Opet Temple
Avenue of the Sphinxes
Temple of Mut
Sacred Lake
Temple of Amenhotep III
Temple of Ramesses III
Montu Temple

Photograph by Madaki, distributed under a CC-BY 3.0 license.

Precinct of Amun-Re

First Pylon of the Temple of Amun (Plan No. 1)
Construction of the current pylon began in 30th Dynasty, but was never totally completed.

It is 113 m (370 ft) wide and 15 m (49 ft) thick.
There are large numbers of mud bricks piled up against the inside of the pylon, and these give a clue as to how it was constructed.

Corridor of Sphinxes
Originally the quay led via a corridor of Sphinxes to the entrance to the second pylon, but these were moved aside when the First Pylon was constructed.

Forecourt (Plan No. 3)
The construction of the original first pylon and Forecourt in the 22nd Dynasty enclosed several older structures, and meant that the original avenue of sphinxes had to be moved.

Boat shrines of Seti II (Plan No. 2)
The boat shrines of Seti II, built in the time of Seti II, are dedicated to the Theban Triad.

It is located in the north corner of the first court, behind the northern flank of the first pylon.
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.
The left most was dedicated to Mut, the central was dedicated to Amun and the right one was dedicated to Khonsu.

Temple of Ramesses III (Plan No. 4)
On the south side of the forecourt (left of the photo), there is a small temple built by Ramesses III.

During his reign, Ramesses III added his own bark shrine to the area in front of the temple, opposite that of Sety II.
This shrine took the shape and size of a small temple, including a small pylon, a court with colossal statue pillars, a hypostyle hall, and a sanctuary.
This nearly 200-foot-long temple features three bark chapels, a hypostyle hall of eight columns, a vestibule with four columns, and an open court

Temple of Ramses III main entrance
The facade or the pylon of the smaller barque-temple of Ramesses III lies within the first court of the main Karnak Temple, towards the south-west.

This area was later enclosed by the court yard constructed by Shoshenq I (943-922 BCE).
The shrine’s entrance was fronted by a small pylon adorned with scenes of the king smiting his enemies and two six meter statues carved from red sandstone flanked the door way.

Temple of Ramses III courtyard
The first court is lined with eight Osride statues of the king; the west side wear the red crown of the south, while those on the east side wear the white crown of the north.

The Osiride statues on the west hold the hek scepter in the left and and the nekhakha scepter in their right.
The statues of Ramses III in this court are depicted in his Jubilee vestments. Jubilees were typically celebrated in the 30th year of a pharaoh's reign and every five years thereafter.

Temple of Ramses III barque-chapel
The barque-chapel of Ramses III, although smaller in size, follows the standard rectilinear pattern of ancient Egyptian temples, with the emphasis on moving from the dark, low inner chamber to broad open courts fronted by a massive double pylon.

Temple of Ramses III inscriptions
Inscriptions inside the temple show the king slaughtering captives, whilst Amun-Re looks on.

Leaving the Temple of Ramses III to the Forecourt

Statue of Ramses II with Nefertari
This statue of Ramesses II, with his favourite wife Nefertari at his feet, stands outside the entrance to the Great Hypostyle Hall (Plan No. 5).

Nefertari held the esteemed title of Great Royal Wife, making her the principal wife of Ramesses II. In ancient Egyptian society, marriage was not only a personal union but also played a crucial role in politics and diplomacy.
By marrying Nefertari, Ramesses II fortified his position as a pharaoh, ensuring her loyalty and support in ruling the kingdom. Although Ramesses II had multiple wives, Nefertari was the most prominent among them.
Nefertari bore Ramesses II at least six children, including four sons and two daughters.
As the Great Royal Wife, Nefertari held significant responsibilities and influence within ancient Egyptian society. Her roles encompassed both political and religious functions, which were closely intertwined.
See more at Nefertari - Wikipedia.

Second Pylon
This pylon was built by Horemheb near the end of his reign and only partly decorated by him.

Ramesses I usurped Horemheb's reliefs and inscriptions on the pylon and added his own to them. These were later usurped by Ramesses II.
The east (rear) face of the pylon became the west wall of the newly built Great Hypostyle Hall under Seti I who added some honorary images of the late Ramesses I to compensate for having had to erase his father's images there when he built the hall.

Great Hypostyle Hall (Plan No. 5)
This was begun by Seti I, and completed by Ramesses II.

The north side of the hall is decorated in raised relief, and was Seti I's work.
He began to decorate the southern side of the hall shortly before he died but this section was largely completed by his son, Ramesses II.
Ramesses decoration was at first in raised relief, but he quickly changed to sunk relief and then converted his raised relief decoration in the southern part of the hall, along with the few reliefs of Seti there, to sunk relief. He left Seti I's reliefs in the north wing as raised relief.
Ramesses also changed Seti's names to his own along the main east–west axis of the Hall and along the northern part of the north–south processional route while respecting most of his father's reliefs elsewhere in the hall.
The outer walls depict scenes of battle, Seti I on the north and Ramesses II on the south. These scenes may not show actual combat, but could have a ritual purpose as well.
Adjoining the southern wall of Ramesses II is another wall that contains the text of the peace treaty he signed with the Hittites in the year 21 of his reign.
See more at Great Hypostyle Hall - Wikipedia.

Third Pylon
Through the walls of the Hypostyle Hall is the mostly ruined Transverse Hall, alongside a reconstructed Third Pylon of Amenhotep III.

Though much ruined, in antiquity it was quite splendid and parts of it were even plated in gold by pharaoh Amenhotep III.
A vestibule was added late in the pharaoh's reign and then partly decorated with incompleted triumph scenes by Amenhotep IV/Akhenaten before the new pharaoh abandoned the project due to his religious revolution which rejected the cult of the god Amun-Re.

Thutmose I and Hatshepsut's obelisks
In a narrow court, there are several obelisks, one which dates from Thutmose I, and is 21.2 m (69.5 ft) high and weighs nearly 150 tons.

Just beyond this is the remaining obelisk of Hatshepsut, nearly 30 m (98.4 ft) in height.
Later kings blocked out the view of this from ground level, and constructed walls around it.
Its companion lies, broken, by the sacred lake.

Sanctuary of Philip Arrhidaeus (Plan No. 6)
The sanctuary was built in the time of Philip Arrhidaeus, on the site of the earlier sanctuary built by Thutmose III. This sanctuary contains blocks from the earlier sanctuary and older inscriptions can still be seen.

The temple's inner chambers centered on the sanctuary of the temple's primary god, which typically lay along the axis near the back of the temple building.
The sanctuary was the focus of temple ritual, the place where the divine presence manifested most strongly.
In most temples, the focus was the cult image: a statue of the temple god which that god's ba was believed to inhabit while interacting with humans.
The sanctuary in these temples contained either a naos, a cabinet-like shrine that housed the divine image, or a model barque containing the image within its cabin, which was used to carry the image during festival processions.
To emphasize the sanctuary's sacred nature, it was kept in total darkness.
See more at Egyptian temple: Inner chambers - Wikipedia.

God Amun
Amun is the ancient Egyptian god of the sun and air. His name means “the hidden one,” signifying his mysterious and elusive nature.

Initially, he was a local fertility god associated with protecting the king.
Over time, Amun’s role evolved. In the Middle Kingdom, he became the King of the deities. In the New Kingdom, he gained national prominence. Eventually, he merged with Ra to become Amun-Ra, a powerful solar deity.
See more at Amun - Wikipedia.

Festival Hall of Thutmose III (Plan No. 7)
This stands to the east of the main temple complex. Between the sanctuary and the festival hall is an open space, and this is thought to be where the original Middle Kingdom shrines and temples were located, before their later dismantling.

The Festival Hall (or Akh-menu – "the most glorious of monuments") itself has its axis at right-angles to the main east–west axis of the temple.
It was originally built to celebrate the jubilee (Hed-Sed) of Thutmose III, and later became used as part of the annual Opet Festival.
In this temple, the Karnak king list, shows Thutmose III with some of the earlier kings that built parts of the temple complex.
It contains the Botanical garden of Thutmosis III.
See more at Festival Hall of Thutmose III - Wikipedia.

Heading south towards the Sacred Lake

Sacred Lake (Plan No. 8)
The sacred lake was where priests purified themselves before performing rituals in the temple.

It measures 120 meters (393 feet) by 77 meters (252 feet) and is lined with stone wall and has stairways descending into the water.
It was surrounded by storerooms and living quarters for the priests.
There was also an aviary for aquatic birds. It is lined with stone and provided with stairways descending into the water.
It was symbolically important in the ancient Egyptian's concept of creation, representing the primeval waters from which life arose.

Refreshing stop
Small refreshing stop at the cafe next to the Sacred Lake.

Scarab Statue
This is a huge statue dedicated to the pharaoh Amenhotep III. It is located near the sacred lake of Pharaoh Tuthmose III, and specifically in the northeast corner.

It is a statue very popular since antiquity, as one of the three manifestations of the solar god Ra and a symbol of good luck.
This view is still valid and for this reason tourists are encouraged by tour guides to make a circular walk around the statue in order to achieve good luck and success in their lives.
See more at Scarab (artifact) - Wikipedia.

Eighth Pylon
Constructed by Hatshepsut.

The eighth pylon marks the end of the area that is normally accessible to the public.

Ninth Pylon
This pylon was constructed (or at least completed) by Horemheb.

It is hollow and allows access to its top, via internal staircases.

Tenth Pylon
Again, it was Horemheb who built this last pylon, using the Talatat from the dismantled Temple of Amenhotep IV as core building material.

There are four registers of scenes around the gateway, in the name of Horemheb.
The tenth pylon is the furthest pylon south on the temple's southern processional route leading to the Mut temple and Luxor temple.

Temple east of the Tenth Pylon (Plan No. 10)
This temple is located east of the Tenth Pylon.

This temple is sometimes called «Temple of Amenhotep III in Karnak», other times it is called «Jubilee Temple of Amenhotep II».

Walking west towards the Temple of Khonsu
On the left side of the photo we can see the Gateway of Ptolemy III, and on the right side of the photo we can see the Temple of Khonsu.

Gateway of Ptolemy III Euergetes
The Gateway of Ptolemy III Euergetes is located directly opposite the Temple of Khonsu.

In Ptolemaic times, Ptolemy III Euergetes constructed this great gateway and an enclosure wall for the temple; only the gateway now remains.

Temple of Khonsu (Plan No. 11)
This temple is an example of an almost complete New Kingdom temple.

It was originally constructed by Ramesses III, on the site of an earlier temple (the construction seems to be mentioned in the Harris Papyrus).
See more at Temple of Khonsu - Wikipedia.

Inside the Temple of Khonsu
The hypostyle hall was erected by Nectanebo I and is not of great size.

Inside were found two baboons that appear to have been carved in the time of Seti I. It probably belonged to the earlier building on the site.
Numerous blocks with unmatched and inverted decorations can be seen, showing the amount of reconstruction and reuse of material from the surrounding temple complexes, especially in Ptolemaic times.

God Khonsu
Khonsu is the ancient Egyptian god of the Moon. His name means “traveller,” which likely relates to the perceived nightly journey of the Moon across the sky.

As the god of light during the night, Khonsu was invoked for protection against wild animals and assistance with healing.
It was believed that when Khonsu caused the crescent moon to shine, women conceived, cattle became fertile, and the air filled every nostril and throat.
In the city of Thebes (Luxor), Khonsu formed part of the Theban Triad: Mut (his mother), Amun (his father) and Khonsu (himself).
Khonsu was often portrayed as a falcon wearing the moon-disk on his head, or as a human child.
In art, he is typically depicted as a mummy with symbols of childhood, including a sidelock of hair and the menat necklace with crook and flail.
He shares close links with other divine children like Horus and Shu. Like Horus, he is adorned with the moon disk and crescent moon.
See more at Khonsu - Wikipedia.

Walking along the eastern wall of Khonsu Temple
In the distance we can see the Temple of Ramesses III (Plan No. 4).

North end of Khonsu Temple

Temple of Khonsu seen from the northeast

Temple of Opet (Plan No. 12)
Opet Temple is adjacent to the left side of Khonsu Temple.

The Opet Festival (Ancient Egyptian: "beautiful festival of Opet") was an annual ancient Egyptian festival celebrated in Thebes (Luxor), especially in the New Kingdom and later periods, during the second month of the season of Akhet, the flooding of the Nile.
The festival was celebrated to promote the Fertility of Amun-Re and the Pharaoh, who was believed to be the spiritual offspring of Amun-Re – the son or daughter of Amun-Re.
The festival included a ritual procession of the barque (a ceremonial boat used to transport statues of gods and deities) of the cult statue of Amun-Re, supreme god, his wife Mut, and his son Khonsu.
The procession carried the statue for 2 km (1.2 mi) from Karnak Temple to Luxor Temple, destination of the Opet Feast.
See more at Opet Festival - Wikipedia.