Karnak, the Center of Ancient Thebes

One of the most important historical and cultural areas of Egypt is Luxor, with its high concentration of ancient sites. Luxor is situated in southern Egypt (also known as "Upper Egypt") and can be easily reached by train from the capital city of Cairo. Located on the site of the ancient capital of Thebes, you can see numerous mindblowing attractions in and around Luxor, such as the Temple of Hatshepshut, the Valley of the Kings and Queens, the Colossi of Memnon, and plenty of others. The Luxor area is absolutely a required part of anyone's Egypt experience. But one of the most outstanding sites in Luxor, located right inside the city along the banks of the Nile, is Karnak Temple.

Known as Ipet-Isut by the ancient Egyptians, this temple was the focal point of the city of Thebes, the ancient capital of Egypt at the time. Starting from 1900 BCE when the Temple of Amun was built inside the Karnak complex, Thebes became the capital of ancient Egypt for about 1500 years. This place served several functions: it was the center of worship of the holy trinity (Amun-Re, Mut, and Khonsu); it was the official residence of the pharaohs; it was the administrative center of the kingdom.

The reason the complex of Karnak is so gigantic is that is served not only as a temple but also the city center of the capital of the kingdom. In person, its size is quite overwhelming. One of the halls, the Great Hypostyle Hall, is comprised of 134 massive pillars, with each one measuring from 15 meters (50 ft) to 21 meters (69 feet) tall. Each pillar is so wide that 6 people are required to be able to reach their arms all the way around it. If you can envision the statues of the pharaohs that were once situated in this hall amongst the pillars, then you can easily imagine the scale of Karnak's glory.

It isn't hard for visitors to get to Karnak, because it is just a 10 or 15 minute walk from the town center, and even faster by taxi. The complex opens at six in the morning, just in time to see it illuminated by the light of dawn. During the evening a different type of illumination can be seen, as Karnak Temple puts on a sound-and-light show, which has been known to hypnotise visitors with its stunning effects set upon such a mystical backdrop.

About the Author

Learn more about Egypt and get Egypt Physical Map Images at Free Printable Maps.

Author Profile: bigeater2000

Publishers:   HTML Code   PDF File    Print View  

Comments

Previous Article - Sightseeing in Brussels
Next Article - Rajasthan famous tourist Places - Rajasthan Travel Guide