Karnak, Egypt

Pylons of Karnak Temple, Thebes (now Luxor), Egypt
Karnak is among the largest religious square footage anywhere in the world. In olden times, it was the site for the Temple of Amun-Ra, the sun god of Egypt and his wife, Mut, and their son, Khonsu.

Approaching the temple, I was wowed by the goat-headed sphinxes lining the approach.

Goat/Lion Sphinxes at Karnak Temple, Luxor, Egypt
Egyptian temples are wonderful places, and Karnak is probably the most visited of the bunch. Notice the different heights of the pylons. They are different heights because one was never finished. In fact, you can see the building material piled behind it still.

Building material for the unfinished pylon at Karnak Temple, Egypt
In fact, this humble pile of mud explains exactly how the temple pylons were built and carved. Evidently, the ancient Egyptians started at the base of the pylon and began stacking the cut rock (limestone, I believe) that the pylon is constructed from. As they built the wall up, they added dirt to the pile to bring the workers level with the top; then, as they came back down, carving as they went, they removed the dirt pile from behind the pylon. The finished product was a complete pylon with a carving on it that told a story of the god to whom the temple was dedicated ... and with no dirt pile behind it.

As you walk into the temple between the pylons, you enter into a large courtyard that has housing for Amun-Ra, Mut and Khonsu. Amun-Ra, the main god, visited the center door; Mut, his consort, visited the right-hand door, and Khonsu, their son, visited the left-hand door.
Courtyard, Karnak Temple, Egypt showing the doors for each of the gods to whom the temple was dedicated
After you pass through the courtyard, you enter the great hypostyle hall, with its 134 carved columns. This hall would hold the Cathedrals of St. Peter (in the Vatican), Milan and Notre Dame de Paris easily.


 As gorgeous as these columns are, you still need to look up.
Column joiner at the top ... with artwork.Karnak Temple, Luxor, Egypt 
Column tops ... with artwork. Karnak Temple, Luxor, Egypt
The colors you see on the stonework are original artwork. The ancient Egyptians painted them somewhere around 3,000 years ago. They are not retouched, repainted or changed in any way (except by time) from the work of the original artists. That much detail and color after 3,000 amazes me still. I have to get my house repainted every 5-10 years; these paintings have lasted for 3,000 years.

Every one of the many obelisks erected in Egypt was dedicated to Ra. This, of course, meant that every obelisk was sacred and could not be touched. That the obelisk was too sacred to touch is important. Queen Hatshepsut erected an obelisk in Karnak. Hatshepsut's stepson, Thutmose III, who came to power upon her death, did everything in his power to erase Hatshepsut from history. He could, and did,  destroy most of the buildings she erected ... but that obelisk to Ra was sacred. He could not destroy it. So, instead, he encased it in a wall and erected his own obelisk to Ra. Both obelisks still stand at Karnak ... as does part of the wall that encased Hatshepsut's obelisk.
Obelisks of Hatshepsut (left) and Thutmose III (right). Karnak Temple, Luxor, Egypt.




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