Karnak is the biggest temple complex in the world, covering an area of 100 hectares and there is nowhere more impressive to the first-time visitor. Much of it has been restored during the last century and our knowledge of the buildings here in different periods of Egyptian history is still increasing each year. In ancient times, Karnak Temple was known as Ipet-isut, ‘The most select of places’.
Karnak Temple interior design
The temples are built along two axes (east-west and north-south) with the original Middle Kingdom shrines built on a mound in the center of what is now called the Temple of Amun.
On The West Side
the entrance to the temple used by visitors which was once a quay built by Rameses II to give access via a canal to the river Nile. This is where boats carrying statues of the gods would have arrived and departed from the temple during festivals, such as Opet, and from where the cult statue of Amun would leave on its weekly tour of the west bank temples such as Deir el-Bahri and Medinet Habu. There are many names of kings on the quay each recording the levels of inundations during their reigns.
On the right
in front of the first pylon is a small barque shrine built by Hakor in Dynasty XXIX, which was used as a resting place during the gods’ processional journey to and from the river.
An avenue of ram-headed sphinxes lead the visitor towards the massive front of the first pylon, each one holding a statue of the king, Rameses II, in its paws (later usurped by Pinudjem of Dynasty XXI ). The sphinxes were fantastic beasts with the body of a lion and the head of a ram, a symbol of the god Amun.
The First Pylon
It is unfinished and its height, originally of 43m is still pretty impressive. There is no certainty as to who built it, but it’s thought that it may have been the Dynasty XXV king Taharqo whose buildings are in the forecourt. Alternatively, it may have been constructed by Nectanebo I of Dynasty XXX who built the temenos walls which link to the pylon and surround the temple complex. The remains of a mudbrick ramp can still be seen on the inner side of the pylon, the only example we have, and which shows how the pylon was constructed.
The Forecourt
is now inside the entrance pylon but would have originally been outside the main temple. In the centre are the remains of the giant Kiosk of the Nubian pharaoh, Taharqo, with its one complete papyrus column still standing. It is worth remembering that Karnak Temple was built to expand outwards from a central core, the oldest part being in the middle of the main axis, behind the sanctuary of Amun.
To the north of the forecourt and adjoining, the first pylon is the triple barque shrine of Seti II, with three rooms built to contain the barques of Mut, Amun and Khonsu, the gods of the Theban triad.
On the south side of the forecourt is the entrance to a temple of Rameses III, who was not satisfied with the simple way-stations of his ancestors and built an elaborate barque shrine designed as a mini-version of his mortuary temple at Medinet Habu on the west bank. Its first court is lined with Osiris statues of Rameses and its walls show festival scenes and texts. Next to this is the ‘Bubastite gate’, built by Sheshonq of Dynasty XXII, the biblical king ‘Shishak’.
The Second Pylon
was built by Horemheb but not completed until the reign of Seti I. Seti’s son Rameses II built two colossal statues of himself which stood in front of the pylon gate. A third statue of Rameses II still stands in situ and has a tiny statue of his daughter Bent’ anta between its feet. This statue was later usurped by Rameses VI then the High Priest Pinudjem I. Inside the walls of this pylon many of the sandstone talatat blocks from the Akhenaten, the temple was found which had been reused as infill in the construction of the walls.
Through the entrance of the second pylon is the famous hypostyle hall. Standing amongst its 134 gigantic columns the visitor can’t help but be awe-inspired by the grandeur of the place. The center 12 columns are larger (21m tall) and have open papyrus capitals, which may have been intended to symbolize the original ‘mound of creation’. The other 122 columns are smaller (15m) and have closed capitals, perhaps representing the swamp which surrounded the mound.
The hypostyle hall
Amenhotep III began the construction of the hypostyle hall. He built the side walls that close off the space between the second and third pylons. Seti I completed the hall by carving beautiful raised reliefs around the northern half’s walls. His son, Rameses II, finished the decoration of the southern half. However, Rameses II overcarved his father’s reliefs with crude sunk relief carvings depicting temple foundation rituals. Rameses ensured his legacy with these additions.
Both Seti and Rameses left excellent examples of temple rituals and the pharaohs’ relationships with their gods. Carvings around the outer walls depict their battle exploits. Rameses also added a roof of stone slabs to the hall. This roof created a dim, mysterious atmosphere, lit only by high clerestory windows. The closely spaced pillars make it hard to view the entire hypostyle hall. When in use, statues of gods and kings filled the spaces between the columns. From beyond the third pylon, the height of the hypostyle hall is evident.
The third pylon
Amenhotep III built the third pylon. Beyond this, to the east, lies the older part of the temple from early Dynasty XVIII. Many reused blocks from earlier buildings are now being reconstructed in the open-air museum. One obelisk of Tuthmose I still stands between the third and fourth pylons, and the bases of a pair from Tuthmose III are visible. The temple’s north-south axis branches off from this court.
Fourth, Fifth And Sixth Pylon
It seems that each successive pharaoh was compelled to build bigger and better than his forebears. As we get closer to the sanctuary area, the original Temple of Amun, the pylons get smaller and closer together. The fourth and fifth pylons, built by Tuthmose I are much smaller than the third and the area between them is the oldest extant part of the temple. This area was once a pillared hall containing wide papyrus columns – perhaps the prototype of the hypostyle hall and had huge Osiris statues of Tuthmose I lining its walls. It was later restored and added to by various pharaohs, including his daughter Hatshepsut who built two red granite obelisks here, one of which still remains, and the pyramidion of the other lies on its side near the sacred lake. The texts on Hatshepsut’s obelisk give important details of the building of the monument from a single piece of granite and gilded with the finest gold. It is dedicated to her father Amun and it attempts to legitimize her claim to the throne.
Not much remains of the sixth pylon which was built by Hatshepsut’s successor, Tuthmose III, apart from texts giving details of captured prisoners on its lower walls. The area before the sanctuary contains two beautiful pillars, sometimes called the pillars of the north and south, erected by Tuthmose III. The northern pillar shows the emblem of Lower Egypt, the papyrus, and the southern one is the lily (or Lotus) of Upper Egypt.
The sanctuary
It now standing is a granite barque shrine which was built by the Greek Philip Arrhidaeus and replaces an earlier shrine of Tuthmose III. The rooms surrounding the shrine were built by Hatshepsut, who had constructed an even earlier shrine here. If we walk around the passage we can see a statue pair representing Amun and Amunet, dedicated by Tutankhamun and thought to show the face of the boy-king.
The Open Area (journey inside the temple)
Behind the granite sanctuary lies the oldest part of Karnak Temple, where the earliest sanctuary once stood. In the Middle Kingdom, a shrine of Senwosret I stood here. However, the area was robbed of its stone, leaving only a large alabaster slab. This slab once supported a shrine. The central court is surrounded by semi-ruined chambers containing fragmentary but interesting reliefs, which are worth exploring.
Following a paved path along the south side of the central court, visitors encounter the Festival Temple of Tuthmose III. This temple, originally called ‘Most Splendid of Monuments,’ was built as a memorial to Tuthmose and his ancestral cult. Inside the hall, the pillars imitate ancient tent poles, a unique feature in Egyptian architecture. These pillars still display remnants of colorful decoration. To the southwest of the pillared hall was a room with a table listing 62 kings, now in the Louvre in Paris. Several ruined statues are located to the north of the hall, in an area that became a church during the Coptic era. Behind the columned hall is a suite of rooms dedicated to Amun. A larger room to the north, sometimes known as the Zoological or Botanical Garden, features delicate carvings of plants and animals from Tuthmose’s Syrian campaigns.
Temple of the Hearing Ear
Wooden stairs lead over the wall behind the festival temple. Moving toward Karnak’s east gate, visitors find a small ‘Temple of the Hearing Ear,’ built by Rameses II. Local inhabitants of Thebes brought their petitions here, presenting them to the gods or, more accurately, to the priests who interceded. This practice followed earlier niche shrines built against the Tuthmose complex.
Just inside the crumbling eastern walls are remains of later temple structures, such as a Colonnade built by Taharqo. Although the Eastern gate was once impressive, it now lies in ruins. Beyond this gate, outside the main temple walls, are scant remains of Amenhotep IV’s (Akhenaten) Karnak temple buildings. Excavations in the 1970s revealed these remains, and many of Akhenaten’s colossal statues now reside in the Luxor and Cairo museums.
Continuing north, we arrive at the Temple of Ptah. Tuthmose III originally constructed the three sanctuaries dedicated to the Memphite god Ptah. The Nubian king Shabaqo restored the temple, and the Ptolemies and Romans later expanded it. Ptolemaic screen walls and flowered columns stand in front of the original sanctuary area. The northern and central sanctuaries were dedicated to Ptah, while the southern one honored Hathor. In the southern shrine, which is usually locked, visitors can find a beautifully restored statue of the lioness goddess Sekhmet.
the derelict Precinct of Montu
Beyond the temenos wall to the north stands the derelict Precinct of Montu. This falcon-headed god of Thebes was prominent before Amun’s rise. Amenhotep III built the precinct, and some blocks still show his cartouches. Later kings, including Ptolemy III, made additions. Ptolemy III built a large propylon gate in the north quay area. The precinct included many smaller chapels, shrines, and an avenue of human-headed sphinxes.
Moving west past the shrines of the ‘God’s Wives of Amun,’ visitors arrive at the Open Air Museum. This museum displays blocks and reconstructed shrines from Karnak Temple. Most fragments came from the second and third pylons or the seventh pylon’s court.
The limestone barque shrine of Senwosret, an airy structure, functioned as a ‘way-station’ for the king’s jubilee. Its square pillars feature beautiful carvings of the king offering to Amun in his ithyphallic form. Nearby, a white alabaster shrine by Amenhotep II is simpler. Tuthmose IV built a similar shrine. Archaeologists are reconstructing parts of Tuthmose IV’s Temple at the museum’s rear, showing fine reliefs. A recent addition is the ‘Red Chapel’ of Hatshepsut, originally the Sanctuary of Amun at Karnak Temple. Tuthmose III dismantled the chapel but reused its door jambs in his own sanctuary. Later, Amenhotep III incorporated the chapel’s blocks into his third pylon, preserving them well. French archaeologists have spent years rebuilding this chapel.
Seventh, eighth and ninth Pylons
Pylons seven, eight, nine, and ten run on a north-south axis to the main temple, known as the transverse axis. During the excavation of the court before the seventh pylon, workers found 751 stone statues and stelae, along with over 17,000 bronzes. These artifacts now form a large portion of the Cairo Museum collections. Some statues are now in the Luxor Museum. They were likely buried during the Ptolemaic Period, though the exact reason remains unknown.
Access through the eighth to tenth pylons is blocked due to ongoing work. Currently, the ninth pylon is being carefully dismantled and reconstructed. The workers use blocks from local Aten temples as infill. Some of these talatat blocks of Akhenaten are now in the Luxor Museum. To the east of the ninth pylon is a chapel honoring Amenhotep II’s jubilee. Seti I restored this chapel after the Amarna Period.
the Temple of Khonsu
In the southwest corner of the Amun precinct stands the Temple of Khonsu, ‘son’ of Amun and Mut. This well-preserved small temple dates from the late New Kingdom and the end of the Ramesside Period. The temple’s squat pillars and low ceilings suit Khonsu, the child. Reliefs in the temple’s rear rooms retain vivid colors, including an unusual depiction of a lion-headed ithyphallic god.
A doorway from the Khonsu Temple leads to a later structure. This temple is dedicated to the hippopotamus goddess Apet, also known as Opet (not to be confused with the festival of Opet). She is believed to have assisted women in childbirth, possibly an aspect of the goddess Tauret. However, reliefs inside this temple depict the funeral rites of Osiris in the Graeco-Roman tradition.
Karnak Temple can be confusing due to its buildings spanning a long period of Egyptian history. Most visitors on guided tours of Egypt have limited time to explore the temple. Multiple visits are needed to gain even a brief understanding of the entire site.
