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Commonly known as Karnak, the Karnak Temple Complex is made up of a number of decayed temples, chapels, pylons, and other structures erected near Luxor, in Egypt. Construction of the complex started during the term of Senusret I in the Middle Kingdom and flourished into the Ptolemaic period.
See the fact file below for more information on the Karnak Temple or alternatively, you can download our 22-page Karnak Temple worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.
Key Facts & Information
OVERVIEW
- The complex is a wide open area and houses the Karnak Open Air Museum. It is assumed to be the second most visited ancient site in Egypt; only the Giza pyramids in Cairo receive more visits.
- The Karnak Complex has four main parts, of which only the largest precinct is currently open for tourists. Karnak is often thought of as being the Precinct of Amun-Re exclusively, since this is the only part accessible to the general public, while the three other parts, the Precinct of Mut, Precinct of Montu, and the destroyed Temple of Amenhotep IV, are closed for viewing.
- There are also a number of smaller temples and sanctuaries linking the Precinct of Mut, Precinct of Amun-Re, and the Luxor Temple.
- The Precinct of Mut is age-old, built for Egyptian deities, although this part of the complex is not yet restored. The original temple was dismantled and slightly restored by Hatshepsut, although another pharaoh built around it in order to shift the focus or orientation of the holy area. Some sections of it may have been used for other structures.
- What makes Karnak different from other temples and sites in Egypt is the amount of time spent for its development and use. Temples were erected during the Middle Kingdom and continued into the Ptolemaic era. About 30 pharaohs were responsible for the construction of the buildings, enabling these structures to reach a size, complexity, and diversity that made them unique and distinct from the others.
- Few of the distinguishable features of the Karnak are unprecedented, but the size and number of highlights are overwhelming.
- The Karnak Complex was built to honor deities that range from some of the earliest worshiped to those glorified in the latter years of the history of Ancient Egyptian culture.
- Although already demolished, it also housed an early temple constructed by Amenhotep IV (Akhenaten), the ruler who would soon hold a near monotheistic religion he formed that allowed him to transfer his court and religious center away from Thebes. It also had some evidence of adaptations, where the structures of the ancient Egyptians were utilized by later cultures for their own religious intentions.
- Among the well-known portion of Karnak is the Great Hypostyle Hall inside the Precinct of Amun-Re, a hall area of 5,000 m² with 134 large columns standing in 16 rows, in which 122 columns reach 10 m tall, and the others are 21 m high, with a diameter of over 3 m. The architraves, or lintels or beams that rest on the capital of a column, weigh about 70 tons.
- Another theory regarding how they were stacked on columns is that large ramps were made out of sand, mud, brick, or stone, and these materials were then towed up the ramps which were assumed to be constructed out of wooden tracks or cobblestones for towing the megaliths.
- An unfinished pillar can be seen in an out-of-the way area of the complex.
- Final carvings were done after the drums were attached in order to avoid damage while being placed.
- The sun god’s shrine has light concentrated in it that happens every winter solstice.
HISTORY
- The history of the complex contains most of Thebes’ origins, aside from Karnak’s shifting roles in culture. Religious centers are different in every region, and when a new capital of the united culture was formed, the religious hotspots in that area received distinction. Thebes does not seem to have contributed great significance prior to the start of the Eleventh Dynasty and previous temple building there was uncommon, with shrines being dedicated to the early gods of Thebes, the Earth goddess Mut, and Montu.
- Early structures were sabotaged by invaders.
- The first known artifact discovered in the area of the temple is a little octagon shaped column from the Eleventh Dynasty, which mentions Amun-Re the hidden god, a local tutelary deity of the city of Thebes and distinguished to be with the ram and the goose.
- Extensive construction work in the Precinct of Amun-Re happened during the Eighteenth Dynasty, when Thebes became the capital of the unified Ancient Egypt. Almost every ruler of that dynasty contributed something to the temple site. Thutmose I built an enclosure wall linking the Fourth and Fifth pylons, which is made of the earliest part of the temple still visible in situ.
- Hatshepsut, on the other hand, also commanded the construction of monuments and asked to restore the original Precinct of Mut that had been ruined by the foreign kings during the Hyksos occupation.
- She erected twin obelisks at the entrance to the temple, which was at that time considered the tallest structure in the world. One of these obelisks still stands, as the tallest extant ancient obelisk in the world, and the other shattered in two and collapsed. Another of her projects at the complex was Karnak’s Red Chapel, or Chapelle Rouge, which acted as a barque shrine and originally may have been positioned between the twin obelisks. She then commanded the construction of two more obelisks to commemorate her sixteenth year as a ruler of Egypt; one of the obelisks toppled while it was being constructed, and thus a third was erected as a replacement. The broken obelisk was abandoned at its quarrying site in Aswan, where it can still be found. Referred to as the unfinished obelisk, it gives proof of how obelisks were quarried.
- In 323 CE, Roman emperor Constantine the Great acknowledged Christianity, and in 356 CE, Constantius II commanded the closing of pagan temples throughout the Roman empire, and this order included Egypt.
- Karnak was left abandoned, and Christian churches were discovered among the ruins, and the most iconic example of this is the reuse of the Festival Hall of Thutmose III’s central hall, where paintings of saints and Coptic inscriptions can still be found.
MAIN PARTS
- Precinct of Amun-Re. This is considered the largest among all precincts in the temple complex, which includes the figure of Pinedjem I which stands at 10.5 m. This temple also houses one of the largest obelisks, weighing 238 tonnes and reaching a height of 29 m.
- Precinct of Mut. Found at the south portion of the newer Amen-Re complex, this precinct was built for the mother goddess, Mut, who was known as the wife of Amun-Re in the Eighteenth Dynasty Theban Triad. This precinct had a number of smaller temples and a crescent-shaped lake known to be sacred.
- Precinct of Montu. This part of the complex is dedicated to the offspring of Mut and Amun-Re, the war-god of the Theban Triad named Montu. This precinct can be found north of the Amun-Re complex and is smaller in size.
- Temple of Amenhotep IV. Akhenaten ordered the construction of this temple, which was located east of the main complex, outside the walls of Precinct of Amun-Re. It was dismantled right after the death of its builder, who had tried to surpass the powerful priesthood.
Karnak Temple Worksheets
This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about the Karnak Temple across 22 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Karnak Temple worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about the Karnak Temple Complex which is made up of a number of decayed temples, chapels, pylons, and other structures erected near Luxor, in Egypt. Construction of the complex started during the term of Senusret I in the Middle Kingdom and flourished into the Ptolemaic period.
Complete List Of Included Worksheets
- Karnak Temple Facts
- Karnak Temple Overview
- It Is He
- The More You Know
- Questioning Part
- For the Gods
- Ancient Egyptian Architecture
- Ancient Facts Only
- Pharaoh Project
- When in Luxor
- Trivia Time
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