Wanderlust World Wanderlust World The temple of Amun is a vast walled complex which is a testament to over 2,000 years of continuous veneration of Egypt's chief god. Its focal point was the central sanctuary where the statue of the god was kept and tended by priests who washed it three times a day and brought it food and drink. The entrance to the temple is marked by an avenue of ram-headed sphinxes leading to the first of 10 gateways or pylons. From here, the viewer proceeds into a series of courtyards and ceremonial halls, added over time by successive dynasties of pharaohs' right up until the time of the Romans. The temple of Ramses III, which is situated to the right of the entrance courtyard, is a striking example of Pharonic devotion, decorated in reliefs of the sacred boats of Amun and his family.
The highlight of the sanctuary of Amun is a feat of architectural engineering that impresses even in a ruined state. The Great Hypostyle Hall was built by Ramses II and is the first major ceremonial hall of the temple. It was designed to impress. Covering over 54,000 square feet, it could more than accommodate the whole of Notre Dame cathedral within its vast walls. Running throughout were 134 vast columns, arranged in 16 rows, each carved with religious reliefs honoring the god.
Built by Pharaoh Amenhotep III, with additions made up until the Ptolemaic period, the temple of Mut it is reached by another avenue of sphinxes. The entrance gateway built by Seti II is carved with reliefs of the dwarf god Bes. In the Ptolemaic period, texts of the hymn to Mut were added -- a testament to the continuation of Mut's importance as well as her husband. Inside the sanctuary walls, the area is much ruined but its courtyards are filled with diorite and granite statues of the goddess Sekhmet, and near the northern wall there is a small temple to Khonsu, the son of Amun and Mut.
Karnak celebrates the gods and Ancient Egypt's victories along with its expanding empire. The outside wall of the Great Hypostyle Hall is carved with reliefs depicting the victory of Ramses II against the Hittites at the battle of Kadesh in 1286 B.C. The carvings show Ramses charging his enemies in his chariots and the prisoners and booty taken by the victorious Egyptians. They, like the reliefs that record them, were dedicated in honor of Amun at his greatest temple. Similar dedicatory reliefs were set up in the sanctuary by Ramses's father Seti I to commemorate his victories in Palestine, Syria and Lebanon. Other carvings record the expansion of the Egyptian empire to the river Euphrates by Tuthmosis III.