KARNAK TEMPLES
I made it back to the ship and had lunch. I was assigned to a table of New Yorkers who I met when I first came to Egypt and Austrailians who had been touring Africa and were winding it up in Egypt. Since the delay at the airport messed up the itinerary the New Yorkers were worried that we were going to miss seeing the Valley of the Kings. I told them that delays probably happen all the time and they will readjust the schedual and fit everything in at different times. We were supposed to go to the Valley of the Kings as soon as we got there but instead we went to lunch at 1300. Later we were given a new itinerary but it didn't mention the Valley of the Kings. We will now go to the Karnak Temples. We loaded onto the bus and were on our way to the temple which was not far away. Homer in the Iliad called the Karnak Temples 'the hundred gated city'. In Arabic Karnak means 'windows'.
It is called Karnak Temples because there are many, many temples located there In fact the intricate temples at Karnak will boggle your mind if you get into studying it. The complex of temples is located on the east side of the Nile. The Valley of the Kings is directly across the Nile severl miles inland on the west side. At the entrance of this temple complex are pylons. Pylon = a monumental temple gateway.
Karnak Temples
Arriving at the temple site we got out of the bus and walked toward the entrance. Before the gateway is the avenue of ram-headed sphinx's built by Rameses 2. Then we came to the uncompleted pylons that make the entrance of the temple. As we entered through the doorway
The Avenue of Sphinx's
there are great mounds of mud bricks on the other side of the pylons. These were used as scaffolding by the workers who built the them. It seems funny that they were never removed after all these centuries. They just lay there in a big jumble. The larger pylon is almost one hundred and fifty feet tall. The other one as mentioned is unfinished.
Passing through the pylons you enter the forecourt of the great temple. The guide called it a kiosk. It was built during the 36th dynasty. The floor of the room is irregular, made of Roman style stone squares. It's roof has long been gone and it is a wide open space. Even though it looks like nothing when you first enter the place every nook and cranny of it holds valuable history for the avid student of ancient antiquity. The columns on the north and the south sides of the court are in ruins. A large altar is on the left. Further to the north is a building that has three shines dedicated to Amen-Ra, the main god of Karnak, Mut, his wife, and Khonsu, their son. These are dated from the Seti 2 era. There are reliefs on the walls of a king worshipping three sacred sailing vessels in the presence of gods.
The pylons that formed the east wall of the forecourt have fallen. It is a mass of sandstone blocks. In back of the ruind pylons are two sandstone statues in a relief of a king slaugering captives. He is holding them by the hair in the presence of Amen-Ra. This depicts thier god delivering more cities into his hands. Moving forward we go through the Babasite
I made it back to the ship and had lunch. I was assigned to a table of New Yorkers who I met when I first came to Egypt and Austrailians who had been touring Africa and were winding it up in Egypt. Since the delay at the airport messed up the itinerary the New Yorkers were worried that we were going to miss seeing the Valley of the Kings. I told them that delays probably happen all the time and they will readjust the schedual and fit everything in at different times. We were supposed to go to the Valley of the Kings as soon as we got there but instead we went to lunch at 1300. Later we were given a new itinerary but it didn't mention the Valley of the Kings. We will now go to the Karnak Temples. We loaded onto the bus and were on our way to the temple which was not far away. Homer in the Iliad called the Karnak Temples 'the hundred gated city'. In Arabic Karnak means 'windows'.
It is called Karnak Temples because there are many, many temples located there In fact the intricate temples at Karnak will boggle your mind if you get into studying it. The complex of temples is located on the east side of the Nile. The Valley of the Kings is directly across the Nile severl miles inland on the west side. At the entrance of this temple complex are pylons. Pylon = a monumental temple gateway.
Karnak Temples
Arriving at the temple site we got out of the bus and walked toward the entrance. Before the gateway is the avenue of ram-headed sphinx's built by Rameses 2. Then we came to the uncompleted pylons that make the entrance of the temple. As we entered through the doorwayThe Avenue of Sphinx's
there are great mounds of mud bricks on the other side of the pylons. These were used as scaffolding by the workers who built the them. It seems funny that they were never removed after all these centuries. They just lay there in a big jumble. The larger pylon is almost one hundred and fifty feet tall. The other one as mentioned is unfinished.Passing through the pylons you enter the forecourt of the great temple. The guide called it a kiosk. It was built during the 36th dynasty. The floor of the room is irregular, made of Roman style stone squares. It's roof has long been gone and it is a wide open space. Even though it looks like nothing when you first enter the place every nook and cranny of it holds valuable history for the avid student of ancient antiquity. The columns on the north and the south sides of the court are in ruins. A large altar is on the left. Further to the north is a building that has three shines dedicated to Amen-Ra, the main god of Karnak, Mut, his wife, and Khonsu, their son. These are dated from the Seti 2 era. There are reliefs on the walls of a king worshipping three sacred sailing vessels in the presence of gods.
The pylons that formed the east wall of the forecourt have fallen. It is a mass of sandstone blocks. In back of the ruind pylons are two sandstone statues in a relief of a king slaugering captives. He is holding them by the hair in the presence of Amen-Ra. This depicts thier god delivering more cities into his hands. Moving forward we go through the Babasite
The Great Hypostyle Hall
Gateway and enter the great hypostlye hall. It is the largest hall like it in the world. It is fifty thousand feet square. The roof fell in centuries ago. In its day the roof was supported by one hundred and thirty four columns in sixteen rows. The two middle rows are higher then the outer columns. These are thirty three feet in circumference and eighty feet tall.
Gateway and enter the great hypostlye hall. It is the largest hall like it in the world. It is fifty thousand feet square. The roof fell in centuries ago. In its day the roof was supported by one hundred and thirty four columns in sixteen rows. The two middle rows are higher then the outer columns. These are thirty three feet in circumference and eighty feet tall.There are reliefs and inscriptions all over this great hall. The pharoahs who built the hall are depicted standing in the presence of Amen-Ra and various other gods. The pharoah who first planned and convieved the idea of building the hall was Horemheb (1350 - 1315 BC) and it was finished during the reign of Rameses 1 who inscribed his name on at least one of the columns. Many of the reliefs were added during the reigns of Seti 1 and Ramses 2,3,4,6 and 12. All of their names have been added to the reliefs and columns. Rameses 2 came in and carved his name so deeply in the column over another pharoah's name that no one will be able to erase it, and no one has as of yet. The reliefs are not easy to see especially when the sun is very bright like on the day I was there.
There are reliefs and inscriptions of Seti 1 on the northern wing of the outer walls of the great hypostyle hall. These depict the king at battle with the enemies of Egypt. Individual scenes on the wall depict a number of different themes. There are scenes and texts of campaigns of Seti 1
against foreign towns or people such as Bedouins, Libyans, Hittites etc. There is another scene
against foreign towns or people such as Bedouins, Libyans, Hittites etc. There is another scene
of the submission of his foreign enemies presenting tribute to him, and also one of him as the victorious king presenting spoils of war to the gods of Thebes.
posted by THE REAL MIKE BAILEY at 9:25 PM
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