Karnak Temple

Karnak Temple

By: Elyssa Parker

Today, we woke up early and took a domestic flight from Cairo to Luxor. We began the day by stopping at Karnak Temple. This enormous religious complex pays homage to multiple Gods and Kings. It is so enormous that it is the largest religious building ever erected. The structures here, including but not limited to obelisks, shrines, and statues, were not all built during the same time period, and many were built hundreds of years apart. It is said that over 8400 priests have resided here throughout time. Amun-Ra was the God represented here the most, along with his family, Mut (wife) and Khonsu (son). These three make up the Theban Triad. Amun-Ra was the God of Air and the Sun, and Khonsu was the God of Time and the Moon. 

As you start your walk-through, you encounter many sphinxes with ram heads leading to the First Pylon. Before you actually enter at all, you will see a massive wall made of mud that was made to keep not only the flood waters of the Nile out, but also citizens. Passing through the First Pylon, you come to the Great Court. This Court has more sphinxes, along with a statue of Ramesses II and several columns. One of the arguably coolest and most impressive places at Karnak Temple is the Hypostyle Hall. The Hall is huge and contains 134 columns. All of the columns, like much of the complex, have been restored in some capacity. Despite this, there is no less amount of "awe" that overcomes your mind upon seeing this Hall. The original color still remains on some of the columns and parts of the ceiling.

Another essential part of Karnak Temple is the Sacred Lake, located to the South of the Temple. Priests cleanse here before performing rituals inside the Temple. King Thutmose III and Queen Hatshepsut, rulers we learned a lot about over the course of our trip, also have pylons dedicated to them here. We also saw Queen Hatshepsut’s “red cabin” in the back of the complex, used as a shrine to her. These pylons, among others, are located near the entrance of Sphinx Avenue (or Avenue of Sphinxes). This almost 2m/3km road connects Karnak and Luxor Temples and was completely lined with sphinxes (which means there were hundreds). The Avenue of Sphinxes was used once a year for the Opet Festival. The Festival consisted of statues of the Theban Triad (previously mentioned) carried in large boats down the road. 

You would definitely need an entire day here to explore everything that this Temple has to offer. Stay tuned to learn more about Luxor Temple! 

If you are interested in learning more:

https://discoveringegypt.com/karnak-temple/karnak-temple-hypostyle-hall/

https://www.wmf.org/projects/karnak-temple