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| Egypt Flights Home »Tourist Attractions in Luxor »The Karnak Temple |
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The Karnak Temple |
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Of all the tourist attractions in Luxor, Temple of Luxor is the rightly one of the symbols of the city, but the Karnak Temple too is not left far behind from the former, as it has been unanimously declared as one of the largest open air religious sites of the world, located in the village of Al-Karnak, some distance away from the center of Luxor. The Karnak temple is not only a simple temple, but the largest temple complex of the world, preserved and renovated over the past centuries dedicated to the Gods of Egypt, with numerous temples located at different corners, and at the same time housing the largest sacred lake of the Egyptian Empire.
To say that the Karnak Temple is grand would only be an understatement, as the size and expanse of the entire area is unfathomable. As you entire the temple complex from the western side, the sight before you will you with awe of the strength and the extent of the religious beliefs of the Egyptians as the one hundred hectares of the land area dotted with numerous temples open up elegantly before your eyes. The temple complex of Karnak houses main temples which are three in number dedicated to the three Egyptian Gods named Amun, Monthu and Mut and an open air theatre. Whereas the most important temple, the temple of Amun lies in the center of the entire complex, the Temple of Monthu is located in the northern direction from this temple and the Temple of Mut lies in the south. The main attraction is the Temple of Amun dedicated to the God Amun who rose to incredible and boundless power during the time of the New Kingdom of Egypt.
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This temple is home to a hall called the Hypostyle Hall which alone measures fifty-four thousand sq. feet with one hundred and thirty four columns which is regarded as the largest religious room in the whole world till date. This temple also consists of the second Pylon of Karnak built by Ramesses II. The Hypostyle Hall makes way to the Tranverse Hall attached to which is the Third Pylon. From here as you walk out you come to a courtyard which was once home to numerous obelisks of which the one that remains in the obelisk of Harshepsut, ninety-seven feet high. Beyond the sixth Pylon lies the Hall of records which was once used to be the place for keeping the king’s record of his tributes and after this is the sanctuary known as the Holy of holies.
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Some of the other temples in the Karnak Temple complex include Temple of Ptah, temple of Khonsu, temple of Opet, Temple of Osiris Hek-Djet and the Middle Kingdom Temple.
The vast space and numerous temples, with each having a different architecture and story, multiple visits will be required to the Karnak Temple in order to make its existence, importance and magnificent comprehensible and understandable to the human mind. But if you wish to know all about this place within a small amount of time, you can opt for the light and sound program held regularly, depicting each of the phases during which it was built and the importance of each of the temples.
Egyptflightshub.com brings to you researched information on not only The Karnak Temple, but on all the various important aspects of Egypt. So browse through its links to know more about the land of the River Nile.
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