After 18 months of work on an LE85 million project for the refurbishment of Karnak Temple in Luxor, the temple is this month ready to receive visitors.
A surprise discovery during the work was a huge dam dating back to 4000 years ago and designed to protect the temple from the annual Nile floods. Also found was a Roman bath from the first century AD.
A new bazaar area has been built in Pharaonic style, new administration buildings have been erected in place of the old ones which were taken down to create an area in front of the temple spacious enough for a clear view of the monument from riverboats on the Nile. A nearby cultural centre has been equipped to show the history of the French expeditions that have worked in Karnak since 1828.
Another project of no less importance will be finished within the next few days. This is a ring road around Karnak Temple that will help shorten the time taken to reach the complex, since it separates residential areas from the site. All open tourist sites now have electronic gates to ensure security.
Largest ancient complex
One of the largest and most impressive of all the temple sites in Egypt, Karnak, the largest ancient temple complex ever built, contains three main temples: the Temple of Amun, the Temple of Mut, his wife, and the temple of their son Montu, god of the moon. Around them are several smaller, enclosed temples and a number of outer temples, the combined achievements of many generations of ancient builders. The vast complex was built and enlarged over a period of 1,300 years and stands on a site covering 247 acres of land.
Only one of the main areas of Karnak is accessible to the general public, the “main” temple of Amun which covers by far the largest area. A short avenue of ram-headed sphinxes leads from the riverside quay to the temple’s first pylon. These rams’ heads symbolise the great state god, Amun, god of fertility and growth, and each holds a statue of Pharaoh Ramses II protectively between its front feet.
The first pylon of the temple dates back to the thirtieth dynasty in the fourth century BC. Through the second pylon lies probably the most photographed area of the temple, the Hypostyle Hall. Inside the hall, symbolising the primaeval papyrus swamp, are 134 wide columns that stand around 12 taller ones in the centre. Beyond the third pylon lies the Obelisk Court, with four obelisks erected by Tuthmosis I and another by Queen Hatshepsut.
These pylons precede the Central Court, an open area on which a shrine once stood. Beyond the central court stands the Festival Temple of Tuthmosis III, which contains the unusual feature of tent-shaped columns, possibly modelled on the tents used by Tuthmosis in his military campaigns.