ARCH161: Karnak Temple Complex, Thebes, Egypt.

Monday, October 31, 2016

Karnak Temple Complex, Thebes, Egypt.

The Karnak Temple Complex is located in the modern day Luxor, Egypt. Construction began on the complex circa 2000 BC and finally being completed some 1900 years later. Over its long construction period, 30 pharaohs would oversee the construction, adding to the size, complexity and diversity. Originally, the complex consisted of four parts, The Precinct of Amun-Re, Precinct of Mut, Precinct of Khonsu, and the Temple of Amenhotep IV. Over time the Temple has fallen into disrepair, many of the stones being used for other buildings. Much of the Temple still remains and today is an open-air museum. The temple was dedicated to the god Amun-Re, his wife Mut, and their child Khonsu.¹

Karnak was originally located in the city of Thebes, Egypt. Thebes became the capital of the new kingdom and the center for worship to the god Amun-Re. The city originated as a trading village being located on the banks of the Nile River. During the New Kingdom, Thebes began to grow thanks to its location to the Nile and its fertile land. By 3200 BCE the city had grown in size and was now the largest city in the known world with approximately 80,000 people. However, Under Ramesses II, the capital was moved from Thebes to a new site at Avaris, where Ramesses constructed a grand place to rule from. While the city of Avaris grew in beauty and prosperity, Thebes began to decline.²

The front entrance to the Complex was lined with sphinxes, a mythical creature with the body of a lion and the head of a man. However the sphinx lining the entrance had the head of a ram, signifying Amun-Re. Once in the Complex, individuals would enter the Great Court. The court was lined with columns and open to the sky. These columns were symbolic of trees in the Nile valley. The court represented a link between earth and heaven.

At the heart of the complex was the massive hypostyle hall. The hall measured 238’ x 170’, the largest enclosed space in Egyptian architecture . Construction began under Seti and completed under his successor, Ramesses II. The hall contained 16 rows of columns totaling 134, these columns measured 42.5’ in height but at the central aisle, the columns measured 69’ tall. This effectively made a clerestory. The clerestory allowed natural light into the center of the hall.