Karnak: The Temples
The traveler to Karnak usually comes away with an appreciation of this great site but with little understanding of its complexity or extent. The site is a complex of temples, a temple of temples, if you will, each with its own unique character. We will start with the Great Temple of Amen. Much has already been said about this temple and so need not be repeated here but instead a brief overview will be given. The approach to the first pylon which is the largest in Egypt, is down an avenue of sphinxes which represent the god Amen-Re. Five more pylons must be passed before we reach the heart of the temple only to discover the image of the god long since vanished. At Karnak however, it is the journey that is the end in itself.
As the visitor approaches the first pylon, take a moment to notice the temenos wall that surrounds the entire complex. Made of mud brick and built most prob
ably by Nectanebo I, it has a wave quality to it which is representative of the primeval waters from which all creation arose. This holy city then is representative of the first earth to have arisen from the waters of chaos at the beginning of existence. Look high on the wall of this pylon for an inscription left by Napoleon’s troops which is still visible.
From here one enters the first court which was originally outside of the temple and so has a number of cryosphinxes. These were originally part of the processional way but have now been displaced. On the right, behind the southern pylon, the mud brick remains
of the ramp which was used in the construction of the pylon may still be seen. The unfinished appearance of the pylon and the attached colonnade (the Bubastite Colonnade), along with the remains of this ramp, tell us of the incomplete nature of the work. They additionally gives us an indication of how these structures were built, almost as if the workmen had just walked away and will return at some point
Approaching the First Pylon
The small triple barque chapel is to the left with chambers for the gods Khonsu (right), Amen (center) and Mut (left). Across from this is a small sphinx bearing the features of Tutankhamen. Moving down the path and in the center of the court the remains of a once large kiosk built by the Pharaoh Taharqa is visibl
e. Only one full column is still standing but the bases of the others are still to be seen. A low curtain wall would have linked these ten papyrus columns and would have been open at the east and west ends. A calcite block stands in the center and was probably used as an alter. This structure may have been unroofed and as such may have been used in the ‘uniting with the sun” ritual in the Festival of the New Year as seen at Dendera and in other places.
Remains of Mud Brick Construction Ramp
Triple Barque Chapel
In the right hand corner of the court is the small temple built by Ramesses III as a barque shrine and a small version of his mortuary temple at Medinet Habu. Adjacent to this to the east is the famous Bubastite Portal, through which one can gain access to the scenes on the south side of the main temple wall, of the pharaoh Sheshonq I smiting the captives from his expedition
into Palestine. This expedition was undertaken to regain Egyptian sovereignty over the land following the death of Solomon. Sheshonq I is the king Shishak of biblical reference in I Kings 14:25-26 and 2 Chronicles 12. From here we pass on to the second pylon, which leads to the famous Hypostyle Hall built by Sety I and completed by his son Ramesses II. This pillared hall is, beyond all doubt, one of the major accomplishments of Egyptian architecture.
Ramesses III Temple
The hall consists of 12 columns flanking a processional way standing to a height of 70 feet and an additional 122 columns 43 feet in height in 7 rows on each side. Here we see a papyrus thicket expressed in stone with the capitals just below the clerestory open to the sun and the inner c
apitals closed in the darkness. The columns contain the names of the king Ramesses II and his royal titles as the decoration plan was completed by him. The hall was started by Amenhotep III with decoration started by Sety I. Originally the hall would have been roofed, with light entering only through the clerestory windows. Statues of the gods were placed between the columns, which would have led to the overall impression of a primeval papyrus swamp with the emerging gods as on the first day of creation. The walls show scenes of the daily rituals, processional and mythological scenes of the king interacting with the gods.
Hypostyle Hall
The third pylon was constructed by Amenhotep III in the 18th dynasty and gives way to a “court of obelisks” in which there were four obelisks erected by Tuthmosis I and III. Only the southern obelisk of Tuthmosis I remains. The middle columns of this obelisk are the inscriptions of Tuthmosis I; the side inscriptions were added later by Ramesses IV and VI. The east and west sides of the obelisk contain dedications and read as follows:
“Horus: Mighty bull, beloved of Truth; King of Upper and Lower Egypt; Favorite of the Two Goddesses: Shining with the serpent diadem, great in strength; Aakheperkare, Setepnere; Golden Horus: Beautiful in years, who makes hearts live; Bodily Son of Re, Tuthmosis (I), Shining-in Beauty. He made it as his monument for his father Amen, Lord of Thebes, Who presides over Karnak, that he be given life like Re, forever.”
“Horus: mighty bull, beloved of Truth, King of Upper and Lower Egyp
t: Aakheperkare, Setep-Amen. He made it as his monument for his father Amen-Re, Lord of the Two Lands, erecting for him two great obelisks at the double façade of the temple. The pyramidions (top sections) were of ----“
The southern face gives us a different type of inscription. Here we see the titles of Tuthmosis I. Take note that the name Tuthmosis in ancient Egyptian reads Djhwtymes based on the sounds of Middle Egyptian language. The inscription reads as follows.
“Horus: mighty bull of Re. The Two Ladies: conqueror of all lands. Horus of Gold, who smites the Nine Bows. King of Upper and Lower Egypt, Lord of the Two Lands, Aakheperkare, Merenre. Consecrated for him, the lord of the god’s, the sed festival before the august Ished tree. Son of Re, Djhwtymes-mi-Re, (beloved of) Amem-Re-ka-mut-f, (living forever and ever).”
The space between the third and fourth pylons is also the area where the north-south axis of the temple branches off to the south. Moving further east on the main axis we come to the fourth and fifth pylons, constructed by Tuthmosis I, which are the oldest parts of the temple still extant. This area later contained the two red granite obelisks of Hatshepsut of which the northern one still stands. Beyond the fifth pylon is the sixth pylon, built by Tuthmosis III who made some alterations to the sanctuary. Carved on this pylon are the names of the towns and villages that Tuthmosis III conquered to the north (northern wall) and to the south (southern wall). As one now passes into the inner-most shrine, take notice of the two granite pillars, which bear the floral emblems of Upper and Lower Egypt on their appropriate sides. On the north side one can see statues of Amen and Amenet dedicated by Tutankhamon.
Tuthmosis I Obelisk, South Face
(Click picture to enlarge)
The granite barque shrine which now stands at the heart of the Amen temple was built by Philip Arrhidaeus, successor of Alexander the Great. The two sections of the chapel are an outer half where offerings were made to the god and an inner section where a central pedestal survives. The barque of the god would have rested on this pedestal. The various wall reliefs’ show offering rites with the god Amen shown in his two common forms: the usual anthropomorphic guise and also as the ithyphallic mummiform Kamutef.