About Karnak Temple:

This Egyptian national landmark is the only one of its kind in terms of size and area. A new and important historical site is the open-air museum in the Karnak temple complex. In the 20th century, the pharaohs of Egypt built temples, towers, and gates to honor their deities and protect their heritage. These buildings can now be seen in an outdoor museum. There is no doubt that the Karnak monuments give us conclusive historical evidence of what happened in Egypt in the era of its renaissance and at a time when the country was in trouble.

Karnak is more than just a temple; it is a temple within a temple. Most of the kings of Egypt, especially those who ruled during the New Kingdom, used this area to ensure that their vows would be remembered forever. Although most buildings were erected to honor Amun-Ra, Mut and their son Khonsu, there are also many chapels in the complex.

 

Open-air museum:

Since the late 19th century, archaeologists have been excavating the area around the Karnak Temple in Egypt. Many ancient Egyptian architectural treasures now in the open-air museum were used in the high towers of Karnak Temple, where they lay dormant for hundreds of years. But if you look around the museum long enough, you will find some of these pieces. For an extra 60 pounds, you can enter the museum from the left side of the central courtyard (you must buy a ticket at the main entrance to the temple).

The museum can see interesting architectural pieces from three different churches. These three chapels are called the White Chapel of Sesostris I, the Alabaster Chapel of Amenophis I, and the Red Chapel of Hatshepsut. From 1923 to 1954, excavations were carried out inside the third tower, where most of the stones were found.

 

Large courtyard:

After passing through the first tower of the temple, we will enter a vast courtyard of 8,919 square meters containing artifacts from many different dynasties. On the right side of the building is a massive temple to Ramses III. Planning and construction took place during his reign, making its interior look like a typical New Kingdom temple. The beginning of the Nineteenth Dynasty is the earliest possible date for constructing the second tower.

 

Great Hall of Columns:

The Great Hypostyle Hall of Karnak Temple spans a total area of ​​4,883 square meters. There are 16 rows with a total of 134 columns. The One Temple Hall is the largest in the world. The hall is decorated everywhere. Many deities, especially Amon-Ra, were honored with carvings and inscriptions on the walls and bases of columns.

 

Constellations:

Amenhotep III built the third tower, once the temple’s main entrance. During his time in power, Thutmose I made his first significant changes to the ancient temple of Amun-Ra at Karnak. He also placed the first obelisks in this area. Between the fourth and fifth towers he built, his daughter Khapshepsut placed two giant obelisks. Each one is carved from a piece of pink granite and is 29.5 meters high. The obelisks can be seen where they are now, near the sacred lake, and their highest points can be reached from there.

When you walk into the second colonnade of Thutmose I near the Fifth Pylon, you will see that it has been almost wholly destroyed. Thutmose III built the sixth and smaller tower, and Seti I repaired it. Under the sixth tower, there may be a hidden room with a list of the pharaohs who ruled Egypt. Last but not least, you can go to Rakh Church or Barka.

 

Cache:

In the first courtyard of the South Building, the famous Karnak bunker was found. In 1904, tens of thousands of artifacts were found here. These included statues of sacred animals, sphinxes, and other stone and metal carvings and other stone and metal objects. In addition, 47,000 bronze objects were found.

 

Sacred lake:

Near the lake, the priests of Amun held sacred rituals, such as taking a bath. Amenhotep III carved a giant scarab out of stone and placed it by the lake. The scarab symbolized the sun god Kiber, and the temple was built to honor the rising sun. The statue was moved from where it was standing in his grave in the cemetery.

Queen Hatshepsut was responsible for building the eighth tower of Karnak Temple, and Thutmose III was responsible for making the Seventh Pylon. It is said that Tutankhamun and Horemheb built the ninth and tenth towers. The eastern path of the Sphinx extends from the tenth edifice to the Temple of Mutt.

During the Ptolemaic period, the temples of Khonsu, Osiris, and Opet were built close to each other. You can find these two temples to the west of the buildings in the south.