Information about Karnak

This article is about the village and associated temple complex in Egypt. For other uses, see Karnak (disambiguation).

Coordinates:

Map of Karnak, showing major temple complexes

Interior of Temple

First pylon of precinct of Amun viewed from the west

A picture taken by Francis Frith in 1856, of a Hall of Collums in Karnak, Egypt.

Karnak (Arabic الكرنك El-Karnak, in ancient Egypt was named Ipet Sut, "the most venerated place") is a small village in Egypt, located on the banks of the River Nile some 2.5 km north of Luxor. Visitors to the area – particularly foreign tourists – perceive no distinction between Luxor and al-Karnak, as the two are both parts of the same conurbation (see the map).

The Karnak Temple is twice the size of the built-up village area, and it is the leading attraction in al-Karnak; essentially this is al-Karnak, as the term Karnak is nearly universally understood as the temple complex and not the village.

Overview

The temple area is a vast open-air museum and the largest ancient religious site in the world. It is probably the second most visited historical site in Egypt, second only to the Giza Pyramids near Cairo.

It consists of four main parts, of which only one is accessible for tourists and the general public. This is also the "main" temple part and by far the largest part. The term Karnak, often is misunderstood as being the Precinct of Amon-Re only, as this is the only part most visitors normally see. The three other parts, although more ancient, are closed to the public.

There also are a few smaller temples and sanctuaries located outside the enclosing walls of the four main parts, as well as several avenues of ram-headed sphinxes connecting the Precinct of Mut, the Precinct of Amon-Re, and Luxor Temple.

The key difference between Karnak and most of the other temples and sites in Egypt is the length of time over which it was developed and used. Construction work began in the 16th century BC. Approximately thirty pharaohs contributed to the buildings, enabling it to reach a size, complexity, and diversity not seen elsewhere. Few of the individual features of Karnak are unique, but the size and number of features are overwhelming. Construction of temples started in the Middle Kingdom and continued through to Ptolemaic times.

Precinct of Amun-Re

Main article: Precinct of Amun-Re

This is the largest of the precincts of the temple complex, and is dedicated to Amun-Ra, the chief god of the Theban Triad.

Precinct of Montu

Main article: Precinct of Montu

Dedicated to the son of Amun-Re and Mut, Montu, the war-god of the Theban Triad. It is located to the north of the Amun-Re complex, and is much smaller in size. It is not open to the public.

Precinct of Mut

Main article: Precinct of Mut

The precinct of Mut, perhaps the oldest portion of the complex

Located to the south of the Amen-Re complex, this precinct was dedicated to the mother goddess, of the Theban Triad, Mut. It has several smaller temples associated with it, and has its own sacred lake. It has been ravaged, many portions having been used in other structures. It is not open to the public.

Temple of Amenhotep IV (dismantled)

Main article: Temple of Amenhotep IV

The temple that Akhenaten (Amenhotep IV) constructed on site was located to the east of the main complex, outside the walls of the Amun-Re precinct. It was destroyed after the death of its builder, and its full extent and lay-out is currently unknown.

Images of Karnak





			Obelisk, Karnak Temple, Egypt
Karnak Temple, Egypt	Karnak Temple, Luxor	Karnak Temple, Luxor	Night at Karnak Temple
Karnak c. 1858, by Francis Frith

External links

Karnak: Temple of Amun – Bible History Online, 2004.
Centre franco-égyptien d'étude des temples de Karnak (in French)
Photographs of Karnak Temple – GlobalAmity.net
Karnak 3D :: Detailed 3D-reconstruction of the Great Temple of Amun at Karnak. (in Spanish) – Marc Mateos, 2007.

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Spoken in: Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman,
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Gumhūriyyat Miṣr al-ʿArabiyyah

Arab Republic of Egypt

Flag Coat of arms
Anthem
Bilady, Bilady, Bilady
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Origin Africa
Mouth Mediterranean Sea
Basin countries Sudan, Burundi, Rwanda, DR Congo, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Egypt
Length 6,650 km (4,132 mi)
Source elevation 1,134 m (3,721 ft)

Avg.
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Luxor (Arabic: الأقصر ) is a city in Upper (southern) Egypt and the capital of Luxor Governorate. Its population numbers 376,022 (1999 survey), and its area is about 416 km² ^[1].
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State Party Egypt
Type Cultural
Criteria i, iii, vi
Reference 86
Region Egypt

Inscription History
Inscription 1979 (3rd Session)
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Cairo
القـــاهـــر?

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Egypt: Site of Cairo (top center)
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Precinct of Amun-Re, located near Luxor, Egypt, is one of the four main enclosed areas that make up the immense Karnak Temple Complex. The precinct is by far the largest of these and the only one that is open to the general public.
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Sphinx is an image of a recumbent lion with the head of a ram, of a falcon or of a person, invented by the Egyptians of the Old Kingdom, and is a cultural import in Greek mythology.
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Precinct of Mut, located near Luxor, Egypt, is one of the four main enclosed areas that make up the immense Karnak Temple Complex and occupies some 150,000 m². It is dedicated to the Egyptian goddess Mut, the mother goddess.
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Luxor Temple is a large Ancient Egyptian temple complex located on the east bank of the River Nile in the city today known as Luxor (ancient Thebes).

Known in the Egyptian language as ipet resyt
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The sixteenth century BC was the time period from 1600 BC to 1501 BC .

Events

1700 BC–1500 BC — Hurrian conquests.

1600 BC^* — Shang Dynasty of China established.
1595 BC — Sack of Babylon by the Hittite king Mursilis I.

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Dynasties of Pharaohs
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Predynastic Egypt
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Amun (also spelled Amon, Amoun, Amen, and rarely Imen, Greek Ἄμμων Ammon, and Ἅμμων Hammon
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The Theban Triad are the three Egyptian gods that were the most powerful in the area of Thebes, in Egypt. The gods are Amun, his consort Mut and their son Khonsu.^[1]
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Precinct of Montu, located near Luxor, Egypt, is one of the four main enclosed areas that make up the immense Karnak Temple Complex. It is dedicated to the Egyptian god Montu, the child of Amun and Mut. The area covers about 20,000 m². Most monuments are poorly preserved.
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MUT may refer to

Methylmalonyl Coenzyme A mutase, a mitochondrial enzyme
MUT (zinc finger protein), a synthetic zinc finger protein
Mauritius Time, a time zone used in Mauritius.

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Menthu was a hawk-god, of war. Menthu's name, shown in Egyptian hieroglyphs to the right, is technically transcribed as mntw. Because of the difficulty in transcribing Egyptian, it is often realised as Mentju, Montju, Menthu, Ment,
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mother goddess is a goddess, often portrayed as the Earth Mother, who serves as a general fertility deity, the bountiful embodiment of the earth. As such, not all goddesses should be viewed as manifestations of the mother goddess.
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MUT may refer to

Methylmalonyl Coenzyme A mutase, a mitochondrial enzyme
MUT (zinc finger protein), a synthetic zinc finger protein
Mauritius Time, a time zone used in Mauritius.

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The Temple of Amenhotep IV at Karnak in Luxor, Egypt, was constructed during the first four years of the reign of the Egyptian Pharaoh Akhenaten, when he still referred to himself as Amenhotep IV.
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Kanakht-Meryaten
The strong bull, beloved of the Aten

Nebty
name

<hiero>G16</hiero>
<hiero>wr:r-sw-t-i-i-Aa13:Axt:t*pr-i-t:n:ra</hiero> Wernesytemakhetaten
Great of kingship in Akhetaten

Golden
Horus
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Francis Frith (October 7, 1822 – February 25, 1898) was an English photographer of the Middle East and many towns in the United Kingdom.

Frith was born in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, attending the Quaker schools at Ackworth and Quaker Camp Hill in Birmingham (ca.
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