Karnak Temple, Luxor 
Detailed map of Karnak with satellite imagery. Click to enlarge.
Orion shines over the Avenue of the Sphinxes. Photo by Robert Fraser.
The Avenue of the Sphinxes at Karnak. Photo by Tim O'Brien.
Morning conversations at Karnak. Photo by Kevin Day.
The Great Hypostyle Hall at Karnak. Photo © Richard Beck.
Statues of rulers and gods at Karnak Temple. Photo © Richard Beck.
Interactive satellite map of Karnak Temple. For a larger view,
see our Luxor Map or Google Earth download.
Karnak Temple is a vast temple complex in Luxor, Egypt, dedicated primarily to Amun and dating from as early as 2000 BC. It is an impressive sight, and second only to the Great Pyramids in popularity.
History
After a century of foreign occupation, the New Kingdom (1550-1150 BC) of Egypt emerged, with its capital at Thebes. The captial city was embellished with grandiose temples worthy of the majesty of the pharaohs, the greatest being Karnak.
The temple complex of Karnak, dedicated to the Pharoah Amun, was the center of his worship and of his wife Mut and their son Khons. Each of them had a "precinct" (area) in the temple complex, the greatest and largest belonging to Amun. There was also a precinct for Montu, the falcon-headed local god.
Construction on the Karnak temple complex went on for 900 years, with each pharoah leaving a new temple, shrine, or pylon (monumental gateway), and added detailed hieroglyphic inscriptions across every surface of its buildings.
When the pharoah Akhenaton abandoned the traditional worship of Amun and took up the worhsip of Aten, the sun god, he built a temple to Aten at Karnak. But after his death, the Theban priests destroyed all signs of sun worship, including the temple that defiled Karnak.
The Karnak temple complex is huge, covering a site almost a mile by two miles in area. There are over 25 temples and chapels in the complex, including separate shrines for the the three boatsthat took the statues of the gods on their annual trip on the flooding Nile. Sanctuaries, obelisks, and groups of columns all feature accounts of the heroic deeds of the sponsoring pharoah.
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. Approximately 30 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 is overwhelming.
The most spectacular of the temples at Karnak is the Temple of Amun (Amun’s Precinct), the only section open to the public. This is entered via the Avenue of the Sphinxes, or Sacred Way, that once stretched the two miles from Karnak to Luxor Temple.
The whole complex was built over a period of 1300 years, beginning in the 16th century BC, and includes several of the finest examples of ancient Egyptian design and architecture. Among them are the Hypostyle Hall, considered one of the world’s great architectural achievements. It is filled with 134 enormous pillars, the highest 70 feet tall, and each about 45 feet around. The whole thing covers 64,586 sq ft.
The Obelisk of Thutmose I, a 22m (71ft) monument, is the only one of four original obelisks that is still standing.
| Names: | Karnak Temple |
| Type of site: | Egyptian temple |
| Dedication: | Amun and the Theban Triad |
| Dates: | Built over 1300 years beginning in 16th century BC |
| Size: | Area: 1 mile x 2 miles |
| Address: | Luxor Tourist Office, Nile St, Luxor, Egypt |
| Phone: | (095) 382 215 or 373 294 |
| Air: | Luxor International Airport |
| Rail: | Luxor Station |
| Bus/Coach: | Public buses leave from Luxor Bus Station but the vast majority of tourists visit the temple as part of an organised coach tour. |
| Taxi: | Taxis can be hired from the centre of Luxor; alternatively visitors can travel by caleche (horse and cart). |
Sources
- Norbert C. Brockman, Encyclopedia of Sacred Places
(Oxford University Press, 1998).
- The Rough Guide to Egypt
- Wikipedia; some text used under GFDL.
- Columbus Guides
More Information
- Reviews of Karnak Temple - TripAdvisor traveler reviews
- Karnak Temple – The University of Memphis
- Karnak – TourEgypt.net
- Karnak: Temple of Amun – Bible History Online, 2004
- Lisa Maniche, City of the Dead: Thebes in Egypt (Chicago UP, 1987).
- Bertha Porter, Theban Temples (David Brown, 1972).
