Entrance to Precinct of Amon-Re of the Karnak Temple Complex
el-Karnak, a small village in Egypt, located ca. 2.5 km north of Luxor. For visitors there will be no distinction from being in Luxor or el-Karnak, as they uninterrupted flow into each other.
Karnak Temple Complex
The all-over shading attraction of el-Karnak. Essentially this is el-Karnak. The very term Karnak is nearly universal understood as the temple complex and not the village. It comprises twice the size as the build-up village area.
It is a vast open-air museum and the largest ancient religious site in the world, and is probably the 2nd most visited ancient site in Egypt, 2nd only to the Giza Pyramids near Cairo.
It consists of four main parts, of which only one is accessible for tourists and the general public. This is also the ‘main’ temple part and by far the largest part. This is the Precinct of Amon-Re . One can probably on that basis redefine the term Karnak, as to be understood as the Precinct of Amon-Re only, as this is the only part the large number of visitors normally sees. The three other main parts are closed.
The main four parts are;
- Precinct of Amon-Re
- Precinct of Montu
- Precinct of Mut
- Temple of Amenhotep IV (dismantled)
To that comes a few smaller temples or sanctuaries located outside the enclosing walls of the four main parts, as well as several avenues of Rams or Sphinxes connecting Precinct of Mut , Precinct of Amon-Re and Luxor Temple.
The key difference between Karnak and the many other temples and sites in Egypt, is the length of time over which it was developed and used. Approximately 30 Pharaohs contributed to the buildings, enabling it to reach a size, complexity and diversity not seen elsewhere. Few of the individual features of Karnak are unique, but the size and number of features is overwhelming.
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