Karnak

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Karnak

The Karnak temple complex, universally known only as Karnak, describes a vast conglomeration of ruined temples, chapels, pylons and other buildings. It is located near Luxor

Luxor

Luxor is a city in Upper Egypt and the capital of Luxor Governorate. Its population numbers 376,022 , and its area is about . As the site of the ancient Egyptian city of Thebes, Egypt, Luxor has frequently been characterized as the "world's greatest open air museum", the ruins of the temple complexes at Karnak and Luxor Temple standing wi...
in Egypt

Egypt

Egypt is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Western Asia. Covering an area of about , Egypt borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Gaza Strip and Israel to the northeast, the Red Sea to the east, Sudan to the south and Libya to the west....
. This was ancient Egyptian Ipet-isut ("The Most Selected of Places"), the main place of worship of the Theban Triad

Theban Triad

The Theban Triad are Triple deities Ancient Egyptian gods that were the most popular in the area of Thebes, Egypt, in Egypt....
with Amun

Amun

Amun, reconstructed Egyptian language Yamanu , was the name of a deity in Egyptian mythology who gradually rose from being an abstract concept to the patron deity of Thebes, Egypt and one of the most important deities in Ancient Egypt before fading into obscurity....
as its head, in the monumental city of Thebes

Thebes, Egypt

Thebes was a city in Ancient Egypt located about 800 km south of the Mediterranean, on the east bank of the river Nile . It was the capital of Waset, the fourth Upper Egyptian Nome ....
. The complex retrieves its current name from the nearby and partly surrounding modern village of el-Karnak, some 2.5km north of Luxor.

complex is a vast open-air museum and the largest ancient religious site in the world.

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Encyclopedia

The Karnak temple complex, universally known only as Karnak, describes a vast conglomeration of ruined temples, chapels, pylons and other buildings. It is located near Luxor

Luxor

Egypt

Theban Triad

The Theban Triad are Triple deities Ancient Egyptian gods that were the most popular in the area of Thebes, Egypt, in Egypt....
with Amun

Amun

Thebes, Egypt

Overview

The complex is a vast open-air museum and the largest ancient religious site in the world. It is probably the second most visited historical site in Egypt, second only to the Giza Pyramids

Giza pyramid complex

The Giza Necropolis stands on the Giza Plateau, on the outskirts of Cairo, Egypt. This complex of ancient monuments is located some 8 km inland into the desert from the old town of Giza on the Nile, some 25 km southwest of Cairo city centre....
near Cairo. It consists of four main parts (precincts), of which only the largest, the Precinct of Amun-Re, is open to the general public. The term Karnak is often understood as being the Precinct of Amun-Re only, as this is the only part most visitors normally see. The three other parts, the Precinct of Montu

Precinct of Montu

Precinct of Montu, located near Luxor, Egypt, is one of the four main enclosed areas that make up the immense Karnak. It is dedicated to the Egyptian god Menthu, the child of Amun and Mut....
, the Precinct of Mut

Precinct of Mut

The Precinct of Mut, located near Luxor, Egypt, is one of the four main enclosed areas that make up the immense Karnak and occupies some 150,000 m?....
and the dismantled Temple of Amenhotep IV

Temple of Amenhotep IV

The Temple of Amenhotep IV at Karnak in Luxor, Egypt, was constructed during the first four years of the reign of the Egyptian Pharaoh Akhenaten, when he still referred to himself as Amenhotep IV....
, are closed to the public. There also are a few smaller temples and sanctuaries located outside the enclosing walls of the four main parts, as well as several avenues of human and ram-headed sphinxes connecting the Precinct of Mut, the Precinct of Amon-Re, and Luxor Temple

Luxor Temple

Luxor Temple is a large Ancient Egyptian temple complex located on the east bank of the Nile in the city today known as Luxor and was founded in 1400 BC....
.

The temple of Karnak is famous for its 134 massive columns arranged in 16 rows in the Hypostyle Hall. 122 of these columns are 10 meters tall, and the other 12 are 21 meters tall with a diameter of over three meters. The architraves on top of these columns weigh an estimated 70 tons. These architraves may have been lifted to these heights using lever

Lever

In physics, a lever is a rigid object that is used with an appropriate fulcrum or wiktionary:pivot point to multiply the mechanical force that can be applied to another object....
s. This would be an extremely time-consuming process and would also require great balance to get to such great heights. There is a double row of sphinxes leading to the temple of Luxor. There are several colossal statues including the figure of Panejem which is 10.5 meters tall. The sandstone for this temple, including all the columns, was transported from Gebel Silsila 100 miles south on the Nile river. It also has one of the largest obelisks weighing 328 tonnes and standing 29 meters tall.

The key difference between Karnak and most of the other temples and sites in Egypt is the length of time over which it was developed and used. Construction work began in the 16th century BC. Approximately thirty pharaohs contributed to the buildings, enabling it to reach a size, complexity, and diversity not seen elsewhere. Few of the individual features of Karnak are unique, but the size and number of features are overwhelming. Construction of temples started in the Middle Kingdom

Middle Kingdom of Egypt

The middle kingdom is the period in the history of ancient Egypt stretching from the establishment of the Eleventh dynasty of Egypt to the end of the Fourteenth dynasty of Egypt, roughly between 2040 BC and 1640 BC....
and continued through to Ptolemaic

Ptolemaic dynasty

The Ptolemaic dynasty was a Hellenistic Macedonian royal family which ruled the Ptolemaic Empire in Egypt for nearly 300 years, from 305 BC to 30 BC....
times.

History

The history of the Karnak complex is largely the history of Thebes

Thebes, Egypt

Eleventh dynasty of Egypt

The Eleventh dynasty of ancient Egypt was one group of rulers, whose earlier members are grouped with the four preceding dynasties to form the First Intermediate Period, while the later members are considered part of the Middle Kingdom of Egypt....
, and any temple building here would have been relatively small and unimportant, with any shrines being dedicated to the early god of Thebes, Montu. The earliest artifact found in the area of the temple is a small, eight-side from the Eleventh Dynasty, which mentions Amun-Re. Amun (sometimes called Amen) was long the local god of Thebes. He was identified with the Ram and the Goose. The Egyptian meaning of Amen is "hidden" or the "hidden god".

Major construction work in the Precinct of Amun-Re took place during the Eighteenth

Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt

The Eighteenth Dynasty is perhaps the best known of all the dynasties of ancient Egypt. As well as a number of Egypt's most powerful pharaohs, it included Tutankhamun, whose tomb, uncovered by Howard Carter in 1922, was one of the greatest of all archaeological discoveries, being completely undisturbed by tomb robbers....
dynasty. Thutmose I

Thutmose I

Thutmose I was the third Pharaoh of the Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt of History of Ancient Egypt. He was given the throne after the death of the previous king Amenhotep I....
erected an enclosure wall connecting the Fourth and Fifth pylons, which comprise the earliest part of the temple still standing in situ. Construction of the Hypostyle Hall

Great Hypostyle Hall, Karnak

The Great Hypostyle Hall of Karnak, located within the Karnak, in the Precinct of Amon-Re, is one of the most visited monuments of Ancient Egypt....
may have also began during the eighteenth dynasty, though most building was undertaken under Seti I

Seti I

Menmaatre Seti I was a Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt , the son of Ramesses I and Queen Sitre, and the father of Ramesses II. As with all dates in Ancient Egypt, the actual dates of his reign are unclear, and various historians claim different dates, with 1294 BC – 1279 BC and 1290 BC to 1279 BC being the most commonly used by scholars today...
and Ramesses II

Ramesses II

Ramesses II was the third Egyptian pharaoh of the Nineteenth dynasty of Egypt. He is often regarded as Ancient Egypt's greatest, most celebrated, and most powerful pharaoh....
. Almost every Pharoah added something to the temple. Merenptah commemorated his victories over the Sea Peoples

Sea Peoples

The Sea Peoples is the term used for a confederacy of seafaring raiders of the second millennium BC who sailed into the eastern shores of the Mediterranean, caused political unrest, and attempted to enter or control Egyptian territory during the late Nineteenth dynasty of Egypt, and especially during Year 8 of Ramesses III of the Twentieth dy...
on the walls of the Cachette Court, the start of the processional route to the Luxor Temple

Luxor Temple

Luxor Temple is a large Ancient Egyptian temple complex located on the east bank of the Nile in the city today known as Luxor and was founded in 1400 BC....
.

The last major change to Precinct of Amun-Re's layout was the addition of the first pylon and the massive enclosure walls that surround the whole Precinct, both constructed by Nectanebo I

Nectanebo I

Nectanabo was a pharaoh of the Thirtieth dynasty of Egypt.In 380 BC, Nectanebo deposed and killed Nefaarud II, starting the last dynasty of Egyptian kings....
.

In 323 AD, Constantine the Great

Constantine I

Flavius Valerius Aurelius Constantinus , commonly known in English_language as Constantine I, Constantine the Great, or Saint Constantine , was Roman Emperor from 306, and the undisputed holder of that office from 324 until his death in 337....
recognised the Christian

Christian

A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism#Christian view religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus and interpreted by Christians to have been prophesied in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament....
religion, and in 356 ordered the closing of pagan temples throughout the empire. Karnak was by this time mostly abandoned, and Christian churches were founded amongst the ruins, the most famous example of this is the reuse of the Festival Hall of Thutmose III's central hall, were painted decorations of saints and Coptic

Coptic

Coptic may refer to:* the Copts, Christian natives of Egypt* the Coptic language**the Coptic alphabet...
inscriptions can still be seen.

European rediscovering

Thebes’ exact placement was unknown in medieval Europe, though both Herodotus and Strabo

Strabo

Strabo was a Ancient Greeks history, geography and philosophy....
give the exact location of Thebes and how long up the Nile

Nile

The Nile is a major north-flowing river in Africa, generally regarded as the List of rivers by length in the world.The Nile has two major tributary, the White Nile and Blue Nile, the latter being the source of most of the Nile's water and silt, but the former being the longer of the two....
one must travel to reach it. Maps of Egypt, based on the 2nd century Claudius Ptolemaeus

Ptolemy

Claudius Ptolemaeus , known in English as Ptolemy , was a Roman Greek mathematics, Greek astronomy, geographer and astrologer. He lived in History of Roman Egypt, and was probably born there in a town in the Thebaid called Ptolemais Hermiou; he died in Alexandria around 168 AD....
' mammoth work Geographia
Geographia (Ptolemy)

The Geographia or Geography is Ptolemy's main work besides the Almagest. It is a compilation of what was known about the world's geography in the Roman Empire of the 2nd century....
, have been circling in Europe since the late 14th century, all of them showing Thebes’ (Diospolis) location. Despite this, several European authors of the 15th and 16th century who visited only Lower Egypt

Lower Egypt

Lower Egypt is the northern-most section of Egypt. It refers to the Fertile Crescent Nile Delta region, which stretches from the area between El-Aiyat and Zawyet Dahshur, south of modern-day Cairo, and the Mediterranean Sea....
and published their travel accounts, like Joos van Ghistele, Andre Thevet, put Thebes in or close to Memphis

Memphis, Egypt

Memphis was the ancient capital of the first Nome of Lower Egypt, and of the Old Kingdom of Egypt from its foundation until around 2200 BC and later for shorter periods during the New Kingdom, and an administrative centre throughout ancient history....
.

The Karnak temple complex is first described by an unknown Venetian in 1589, though his account relates no name for the complex. This account, housed in the Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale di Firenze, is the first known European mention since ancient Greek and Roman writers of a whole range of monuments in Upper Egypt

Upper Egypt

File:Ancient Egypt map-en.svgUpper Egypt is a narrow strip of land that extends from the Cataracts of the Nile section of Upper Egypt, between El-Ayait and Asyut is sometimes known as Middle Egypt....
and Nubian, including Karnak, Luxor temple, Colossi of Memnon

Colossi of Memnon

The 'Colossi of Memnon' are two massive stone statues of Pharaoh Amenhotep III. For the past 3400 years they have stood in the Thebes, Egypt necropolis, across the Nile from the modern city of Luxor....
, Esna

Esna

The Egyptian city of Esna , known to the ancient Egyptians as Egyptian language: Iunyt or Ta-senet; Greek language: or or ; Latin: Lato, is located on the west bank of the Nile, some 55 km south of Luxor, in the modern Qena Governorate....
, Edfu

Edfu

Edfu is an Egyptian city, located on the west bank of the Nile River between Esna and Aswan, with a population of approximately sixty thousand people....
, Kom Ombo

Kom Ombo

Kom Ombo or Ombos or Latin: Ambo and Ombi – is an agricultural town in Egypt famous for the Temple of Kom Ombo. It was originally an Ancient Egypt city called Nubt, meaning City of Gold ....
, Philae

Philae

Philae or Pilak or P'aaleq or Arabic language: Anas el Wagud, is an island in the Nile River and the previous site of an Ancient Egyptian temple complex in southern Egypt....
and others.

Karnak ("Carnac") as a village name, and name of the complex, is first attested in 1936, when two capuchin

Order of Friars Minor Capuchin

File:Rapperswil - Kapuzinerkloster.jpgThe Order of Friars Minor Capuchin is an order of friars in the Catholic Church, among the chief offshoots of the Franciscans....
missionary brothers Protais and Charles François d'Orléans travelled though the area. Protais’ writing about their travel was published by Melchisédech Thévenot

Melchisédech Thévenot

Melchis?dech Th?venot was a France author, scientist, traveler, cartographer, orientalist, inventor, and diplomat. He was the inventor of the spirit level and is also famous for his popular 1696 book The Art of Swimming, one of the first books on the subject and widely read during the eighteenth century ....
(Relations de divers voyages curieux, 1670s-1696 editions) and Johann Michael Vansleb

Johann Michael Vansleb

Johann Michael Vansleb was a German theologian, linguist and Egypt traveller. He converted to Catholicism and was a member of the Dominican Order from 1666....
(The Present State of Egypt, 1678).

The first drawing of Karnak is found in Paul Lucas

Paul Lucas (traveller)

Paul Lucas was a French merchant, naturalist, physician and antiquarian to King Louis XIV of France. He travelled extensively in Greece, Turkey, the Levant and Egypt, in three major voyages , and ....
' travel account of 1704, (Voyage du Sieur paul Lucas au Levant). It is rather inaccurate, and can be quite confusing to modern eyes. Lucas travelled in Egypt during 1699-1703. The drawing shows a mixture of the Precinct of Amun-Re and the Precinct of Montu, based on a complex confined by the three huge Ptolemaic gateways of Ptolemy III Euergetes

Ptolemy III Euergetes

Ptolemy III Euergetes, was the third ruler of the Ptolemaic dynasty in Egypt. He was the eldest son of Ptolemy II Philadelphus and his first wife, Arsinoe I, and came to power in 246 BCE upon the death of his father....
/ Ptolemy IV Philopator

Ptolemy IV Philopator

Ptolemy IV Philopator , son of Ptolemy III of Egypt and Berenice II of Egypt was the fourth Pharaoh of the Ptolemaic Egypt. Under the reign of Ptolemy IV, the decline of the Ptolemaic dynasty began....
, and the massive 113m long, 43m high and 15m thick, first Pylon of the Precinct of Amun-Re.

Karnak was visited and described in succession by Claude Sicard

Claude Sicard

Father Claude Sicard was a France Jesuit priest, and an early modern visitor to Egypt, between 1708 and 1712, producing the earliest known map of the country. He was Supervisor of the Jesuit Mission in Cairo....
and his travel companion Pierre Laurent Pincia (1718 and 1720-21), Granger

Granger (Tourtechot)

Granger , was a French people physician and traveller, with a major interest in natural history.According to the preface of the only work attributed to him, his real name was Tourtechot, and for reasons not explained he changed it to Granger....
(1731), Frederick Louis Norden (1737-38), Richard Pococke

Richard Pococke

Richard Pococke was an English prelate and anthropology. He was Protestant Bishop of Ossory and Meath , both dioceses of the Church of Ireland....
(1738), James Bruce

James Bruce

James Bruce was a Scotland traveller and travel writer who spent more than a dozen years in North Africa and Ethiopia, where he traced the origins of the Blue Nile....
(1769), Charles-Nicolas-Sigisbert Sonnini de Manoncourt

Charles-Nicolas-Sigisbert Sonnini de Manoncourt

Charles-Nicolas-Sigisbert Sonnini de Manoncourt was a France naturalist....
(1777), William George Browne

William George Browne

William George Browne was an England traveller.Brown was born at Great Tower Hill, London. At seventeen he was sent to Oriel College, Oxford....
(1792-93), and finally by a number of scientists of the Napoleon expedition, including Vivant Denon, during 1798-1799. Claude-Étienne Savary

Claude-Étienne Savary

Claude-?tienne Savary was an orientalist, pioneer of Egyptology and translator of the Qur'an....
describes the complex rather detailed in his work of 1785; especially in light that it is a fictional account of a pretended journey to Upper Egypt, composed out of information from other travellers. Savary did visit Lower Egypt

Lower Egypt

Main parts

Precinct of Amun-Re

This is the largest of the precincts of the temple complex, and is dedicated to Amun-Re, the chief god of the Theban Triad

Theban Triad

The Theban Triad are Triple deities Ancient Egyptian gods that were the most popular in the area of Thebes, Egypt, in Egypt....
.

Precinct of Montu

Dedicated to the son of Amun-Re and Mut

Mut

Mut, which meant mother in the ancient Egyptian language, was an ancient Egyptian mother goddess with multiple aspects that changed over the thousands of years of the culture....
, Montu, the war-god of the Theban Triad. It is located to the north of the Amun-Re complex, and is much smaller in size. It is not open to the public.

Precinct of Mut

Located to the south of the Amen-Re complex, this precinct was dedicated to the mother goddess

Mother goddess

A mother goddess is a term used to refer to any goddess associated with motherhood, fertility, creation or the bountiful embodiment of the Earth....
, of the Theban Triad, Mut

Mut

Mut, which meant mother in the ancient Egyptian language, was an ancient Egyptian mother goddess with multiple aspects that changed over the thousands of years of the culture....
. It has several smaller temples associated with it, and has its own sacred lake. It has been ravaged, many portions having been used in other structures. It is not open to the public. 600 black granite statues were found in the courtyard.

Temple of Amenhotep IV (dismantled)

The temple that Akhenaten

Akhenaten

Akhenaten , was a Pharaoh of the Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt, who died 1336 BC or 1334 BC. He is especially noted for attempting to compel the Egyptian population in the monotheism worship of Aten, although there are doubts as to how successful he was at this....
(Amenhotep IV) constructed on site was located to the east of the main complex, outside the walls of the Amun-Re precinct. It was destroyed after the death of its builder, and its full extent and lay-out is currently unknown.

In popular culture

The Egyptian-themed superhero Ozymandias
Ozymandias (comics)

Ozymandias is a fictional character appearing in the comic book limited series Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, published by DC Comics....
from the graphic novel Watchmen
Watchmen

Watchmen is a twelve-issue comic book limited series created by writer Alan Moore, artist Dave Gibbons, and colorist John Higgins . The series was published by DC Comics during 1986 and 1987, and has been subsequently reprinted in collected form....
has a fortress in Antarctica called Karnak.
Lara Croft
Lara Croft

Lara Croft is a fictional character and the protagonist of Eidos Interactive's Tomb Raider series video game series. Designed by Toby Gard, she has also been featured in movies , comic books, novels, and a series of animated short films....
visited Karnak for two levels in Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation
Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation

Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation is the fourth video game in the Tomb Raider series. It was video game developer by Core Design and video game publisher by Eidos Interactive....
and it was featured in the level editor package.
In the movie The Mummy Returns
The Mummy Returns

The Mummy Returns is a 2001 in film American adventure film written and directed by Stephen Sommers, starring Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, John Hannah , Oded Fehr, and Arnold Vosloo....
, Karnak is one of the places Rick O'Connell and the others must go to, in order to ultimately reach the Scorpion King.

External links

Bible History Online, 2004.
(in Spanish)

Karnak

Overview

History

European rediscovering

Main parts

Precinct of Amun-Re

Precinct of Montu

Precinct of Mut

Temple of Amenhotep IV (dismantled)

In popular culture

See also

External links