Karnak Temple

The Karnak Temple Complex lies on the east bank of the Nile at the northern edge of Luxor, the site of ancient Thebes. It forms part of the Ancient Thebes with its Necropolis World Heritage Site, inscribed by UNESCO in 1979, and is one of the largest religious sites ever built.

Building began under Senusret I in the Middle Kingdom and continued into the Ptolemaic period, but most of what stands today dates from the New Kingdom. Ancient Egyptians called it Ipet-isut, the most select of places. It was the main place of worship of the Theban triad of Amun, Mut and Khonsu.

The Precinct of Amun-Ra is the largest part. Its Great Hypostyle Hall, built mainly under Seti I and Ramesses II, holds 134 huge sandstone columns, the tallest about 21 metres high, carved with reliefs and inscriptions. Other highlights include the obelisk of Hatshepsut, the sacred lake and a series of massive pylons. An avenue of sphinxes once linked Karnak with Luxor Temple, about 3 kilometres to the south, and has been restored and reopened.

Foreign adults pay EGP 600 and students EGP 300, and the site opens from 6:00 am to 5:00 pm. An evening sound and light show is sold separately. Mornings are cooler and less crowded. Allow two to three hours, and wear sun protection, as much of the site is open to the sky.

Four precincts, and the one most visitors see

Karnak is made up of four main precincts, and almost every visitor sees only the largest, the Precinct of Amun-Ra. North of it lies the smaller Precinct of Montu, which is not open to the public. To the south, the Precinct of Mut has its own ticket of EGP 200 for foreign adults. A fourth temple, built by Amenhotep IV, later Akhenaten, stood to the east and was dismantled after his death.

The scale of the Amun-Ra precinct shows at the entrance. The First Pylon is about 113 metres long, 43 metres high and 15 metres thick, and was never fully finished. Behind it, the Great Hypostyle Hall covers about 5,000 square metres, an area that would hold a cathedral.

Hatshepsut's obelisk

Hatshepsut raised a pair of obelisks at Karnak that were once the tallest in the world. One still stands and is the second-tallest ancient obelisk on Earth. Its partner lies broken nearby, and its upper section rests beside the sacred lake, where visitors can see the carving up close.

Beat the cruise coaches with a 6 am entry

Karnak is the second most visited historic site in Egypt after the pyramids of Giza. Tour coaches from the Nile cruise boats arrive mid-morning, so entering at 6:00 am gives you about two hours of soft light and thinner crowds in the hypostyle hall. Late afternoon, before the 5:00 pm close, is the second-best window.