TEMPLE OF AMON ,KARNAK

INTRODUCTION
The temple of Karnak was known as Ipet-isut
by the ancient Egyptians. It is a city of temples
built over 2000 years and dedicated to the
Theben triad of Amun , Mut and Khonsu. For
the largely uneducated ancient Egyptian
population this could only have been the place
of the gods. It is the mother of all religious
buildings, the largest ever made and a place of
pilgrimage for nearly 4,0000years.
 LOCATION
This sacred area is located , about 450 miles south of
Cairo on the east side of the Nile , in Egypt.

 The area around Karnak was the ancient Egyptian

Ipet-isut ("The Most Selected of Places") and the main
place of worship of the eighteenth dynasty
Theban Triad with the god Amun as its head. It is
part of the monumental city of Thebes.
AMUN(god of creation and wind)
God in egyptian and berber
mythology also known as sungod .

Amun created himself alone. His

first wife was Wosret, but he later
married Amunet and Mut. With
Mut he is a father of the Moon god
Khonsu.
 HISTORY
The history of the Karnak complex is largely the history of
Thebes .
The city of Thebes does not have great significance before the
Eleventh Dynasty and previous temple building here would
have been relatively small, with shrines being dedicated to
the early deities of Thebes, the Earth goddess Mut and
Montu.
 The Egyptian meaning of Amun is, "hidden" or, the "hidden
god".[4]
Major construction work in the Precinct of Amun-Re took
place during the Eighteenth dynasty when Thebes became
the capital of the unified Ancient Egypt.
 RESTORED VIEW
LUXOR
TEMPLE
TEMPLE OF
OF MUT
MUT

TEMPLE OF TEMPLE OF
RAMESES KHONS
 AMON TEMPLE COMPLEX
It comprises a vast conglomeration of ruined temples,
chapels, pylons, and other buildings, notably the
Great Temple of Amen.
Build by different people like Pharaoh Ramses II ,seti ,
thothmes etc etc
The area of the sacred enclosure of Amon alone is 61
acres .
. The Hypostyle hall at 54,000 square feet with its 134
columns is still the largest room of any religious
building in the world. In addition to the main sanctuary
there are several smaller temples and a vast sacred lake.
Pillars of the Great Hypostyle Hall from
the Precinct of Amun-Re
The complex is a vast open-air museum and the largest
ancient religious site in the world.

It consist of 4 main parts like the Precinct of Amun

-Re, the Precinct of Mut , the Precinct of Montu ,
and the Temple of Amenhotep IV .

 The Precinct of Mut is very ancient, dedicated to an

Earth and creation deity, but not yet restored.
 PLAN
GREAT COURT CENTRAL
TEMPLE OF
COURT
SETI

TEMPLE OF HYPOSTYLE
RAMESES HALL
 CONSTRUCTION
Construction of temples started in the
Middle Kingdom and continued through to
Ptolemaic times.
Approximately thirty pharaohs contributed to the
buildings, enabling it to reach a size, complexity,
and diversity .
Few of the individual features of Karnak are unique,
but the size and number of features are overwhelming.
 STRUCTURE
The Hypostyle hall at 54,000 square feet with its
134 massive columns arranged in 16 rows. 122 of these
columns are 10 meters tall, and the other 12 are 21
meters tall with a diameter of over three meters.
It has 6 pair of pylons and consist of various courts and
halls leading to sanctury.
 There is an unfinished pillar in an out of the way
location that indicated how it would have been
finished.
SLABS OF CLEARSTORY THROUGH
WHICH LIGHT ENTERS
SECTIONAL VIEW OF HYPOSTYLE HALL
AMON TEMPLE......
PICTURES
THANK YOU!!!