Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt

duplicates in stone of the flora and fauna that Tuthmosis

III came upon in his Syrian and Palestinian military cam-

paigns and called “the Botanical Garden.”

A number of lesser shrines were originally built

beyond the limits of the sanctuary, dedicated to PTAH,

OSIRIS, KHONS(1), and other deities. To the south of the

sixth pylon was the sacred lake, where the barks of the god

floated during festivals. A seventh pylon, built by Tuthmo-

sis III, opened onto a court, which has yielded vast

amounts of statues and other relics from the New King-

dom. Three more pylons complete the structure at this

stage, all on the north–south axis. Some of these pylons

were built by Horemhab, who used materials from AKHEN-

ATEN’Sdestroyed temple complex at ’AMARNA. A shrine for

Khons dominates this section, alongside other monuments

from later eras. A lovely temple built by SENWOSRET I(r.

1971–1926 B.C.E.) of the Twelfth Dynasty was discovered

hidden in Karnak and has been restored. A shrine for the

goddess Mut, having its own lake, is also of interest.

Karnak represents faith on a monumental scale.

Each dynasty of Egypt made additions or repairs to the

structures, giving evidence of the Egyptians’ fidelity to

their beliefs. Karnak remains as a mysterious enticement

to the world of ancient Egypt. One Karnak inscription,

discovered on the site, is a large granite stela giving an

account of the building plans of the kings of the Eigh-

teenth Dynasty. A second stela records work being done

on the Ptah shrine in the enclosure of the temple of

Amun.

The Karnak obelisks vary in age and some are no

longer on the site, having been moved to distant capi-

tals. Those that remain provide insight into the massive

quarrying operations conducted by the Egyptians during

the New Kingdom (1550–1070 B.C.E.). The Karnak

pylon inscriptions include details about the New King-

dom and later eras and provide scholars with informa-

tion concerning the rituals and religious practices as

well as the military campaigns of the warrior kings of

that period.

A Karnak stela, a record of the gifts given to Karnak

by ’AHMOSE(r. 1550–1525 B.C.E.), presumably in thanks-

giving for a victory in the war to oust the Asiatics, is a list

of costly materials. ’Ahmose provided the god Amun with

golden caplets, lapis lazuli, gold and silver vases, tables,

necklaces, plates of gold and silver, ebony harps, a gold

and silver sacred bark, and other offerings. The Karnak

King List, discovered in the temple site, is a list made by

Tuthmosis III. The document contains the names of more

than 60 of ancient Egypt’s rulers, not placed in chrono-

logical order.

See also AMUN; ART AND ARCHITECTURE.

Suggested Readings: Amer, Amin. The Gateway of

Ramesses IX in the Temple of Amun at Karnak.New York:

Aris & Phillips, 1999; De Lubicz, Schwaller. The Temples

of Karnak: A Contribution to the Study of Pharaonic

1 94 Karnak

0 125 Meters

0 400 Feet

N

temple of Osiris

complex of human-

headed sphinxes

temple

of Montu

temple of Maat

temple of

Tuthmosis I

PRECINCT

OF MONTU

temple

of Ptah

Great Temple of Amun

hypostyle

hall

standing

obelisksanctuary

central

court

chapel of

Osiris

Heqadjet

temple of

Amon-Re-

Horakhty

festival temple

of

Tuthmosis III

scarab

PRECINCT

OF AMUN

avenue

of ram-

headed

sphinxes

bark

shrine of

Psammetichus

and Hakoris

temple of

Ramesses III

court

VII

VIII

IX

X

temple

of Opet

temple

of Khons sed-festival

temple of

Amenhotep II

avenue of ram-

avenue of rams headed sphinxes

bark station of

Tuthmosis III

and Hatshepsut

sanctuary of

Amun Kamutef

temple

temple of

Nectanebo II

PRECINCT

OF MUT

temple

of Mut

temple of

Ramesses III

sacred lake

lake

Bab el-‘Abd

to the

temple of

Akhenaten

Layout of the massive Karnak complex