Karnak Temple, Luxor

Karnak is actually the site's modern name. Its ancient name was Ipet-Isut, meaning 'the Most Sacred of Places.'
The temple complex was built by many generations of ancient builders. It took them over 1300 years.

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Karnak Temple is one of the largest structures in the world. At one time, Karnak sat on a total of 220 acres.

Kings and Queens with the names of Akhenaton, Tutankhamun, Seti I, Ramses II and III, Tuthmosis I, II, & III, Queens Hatshepsut and Nefertiti and 25th Dynasty King Tarharka of Nubia have all been immortalized here. Destroyed by each successor the facades were changed with every new king to show future generations that the present Pharoah existed. Almost every pharoah added someting to this temple.

The area around this complex has been given the name "Ipet Isut" meaning the most perfect of places.

The most notable aspect of Karnak is the Great Hypostle Hall in the precinct of Amun-Ra with an area of 50,000 square foot and 134 massive columns arranged in 16 rows.
The building of Karnak began with Pharoah Amenhotep III 1391-1351 B.C., continued with Seti I an was completed within the reign of Seti I's son Ramses II.

The largest standing obelisk in the world stands at Karnak and belongs to Queen Pharoah Hatshepsut. She raised a total of 4 obelisks this one at Karnak still stands, at 320 tons, and 97 feet tall made of red granite and caved from a single piece of stone, it was built in Aswan and was moved to Luxor down the Nile.

Open daily
Price:25 L.E. (4.35 USD)

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My wife and I were really looking forward to this and cannot say how disappointed we were. At £26 each, the hour show was really underwhelming- static, slide shows on walls, and voiceovers. From the viewing platform for the last part, they need to move a big palm tree so the temple can be seen! Do not pay the extra for filming in video as there is no advantage really over a good stills camera except for a soundtrack.
Ideally use a tripod, as the exposure for the conditions will be slow and it is almost impossible to hold the camera still for the time.
We were held at the line of Ram head sphinxes until the previous crowd left. Darkness! Lights ups and a very RSC style voiceover booming around us. Flash photography was a nuisance, almost turned it into a strobe show.
We moved along a bit to the Hypostyle Hall for the next bit. As this is not spacious, it was hard to see what was going on - the lighting changes and the voices boom.
We walked through to the viewing platform where we watched, across the sacred lake, a slideshow on the walls, far enough away for the details not to be clear. People have given up on photography now.The palm tree hid some effect to our front right.Suddenly it was over. A few people applauded then stopped when they realised they were alone. There was a definited air of disbelief as the crowd quietly dispersed.
The effect of floodlights on the temple is very powerful but at Luxor you can see this from the street without paying admission. Had the admission been £10 I would not be so upset, but £26 feels like an absolute rip-off. We consoled ourselves that this is not a profit-making enterprise and the money goes on the restoration and upkeep.

The High Priests were a very important part of the life of the pharaoh. These high Priests went through a very strict daily ritual that included them doing their ritual ablutions up to four times every day! These ablutions included the priests washing themselves in the Sacred Lake before they performed their strict rituals in the Temple.

During the time of Amenophis III, this sacred lake was created for the exclusive use of these High priests and the Pharaoh himself.

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I found the obelisk of Hatshepsut to be a truly amazing site.

I have watched so many Egyptian documentaries and read so many books and magazines that I have lost count. The amazing thing for me is that Hatshepsut was female pharaoh that dressed like a man and represented herself as a “Man God” for much of her life as a Pharaoh.

It seems that she, like all pharaohs, spent most of her rule preparing for the afterlife.

As such, and perhaps because she feared her Gods, she had an obelisk constructed that showed AT THE VERY TOP her kneeling before her judge. The hieroglyphics above her says “your daughter!!!!’

It says a lot to me that the inscription is at the top of the obelisk….where, for the naked eye, it would be impossible to read. (Until the obelisk was laid on its side!)

The Osiride Pillars are part of the Temple of ramese III. Making up the court of the temple, the Osiride Pillars make up three sides of the temple.

Each of the statues that make up the Pillars depict the Pharaoh in his jubilee vestments.

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Not to be missed, and still within the first forecourt, the temple of Ramses III is amazing in size, status and the amount of deities of himself!

I truly believe that Ramses II loved himself more than anything on the face of the planet. Even though he built a smaller tomb at Abu Simbel for one of his wives, this Pharaoh built more Temples & statues, and had more reliefs and hieroglyphics commissioned of himself, than any other Pharaoh in history.

You will be amazed at how many statues, pillars, and hieroglyphic processions are in this Temple, depicting Ramses II as a God and above everybody and everything.

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When you look up at the ceiling you will notice the most beautiful hieroglyphics that have been protected from the sun for dozens of centuries. In full color, you can see the key of life, the honey bee which represented Upper and Lower Egypt, ducks and the solar disc Ptah.

This entire Hall dates back to 1375 B.C and I can only imagine how hard it was to carve these columns, drag them to this spot and build the hall. I also wonder how many slaves died to erect this structure that I just paid 65 Egyptian Pound to visit!