Karnak Temple Near Luxor

Aerial View of Karnak Temple
Aerial View of Karnak Temple
Photo by: SonofGrouchu, Creative Commons

Karnak Temple is located in a small ancient village in Egypt called al-Karnak. The village is situated on the Nile river’s banks about 2.5 kilometers north from Luxor. The Karnak Temple is twice as big as the village area and has become the village’s most popular attraction. The temple is now an enormous open-air museum, as well as one of the biggest ancient religious sites worldwide. The Karnak Temple is Egypt’s second most visited site of historical value, next to the Pyramids of Giza.

The temple has four main parts, the largest portion is the only one which is accessible to the general public. Aside from the other three parts, there are a few other sanctuaries and temples located on the outside of the enclosing walls. There are also many statues of sphinxes with ram heads that connect the Precinct of Mut, the Luxor Temple, and the Precinct of Amon-Re.

The major difference between the Karnak Temple and many of the other sites in Egypt is how long the temple took to develop, as well as how long it was used. The construction of the temple started during the 16th century B.C. About 30 pharaohs gave a contribution to the buildings, which enabled it to reach a diversity, complexity, and size that is not seen anywhere else in the world.

Pictures & Photos

9 responses to “Karnak Temple Near Luxor”

  1. I love to see and i want to share to my Thai friends.

  2. tracy says:

    the photo by andrea.prave identified as being mummy statues at Karnak temple is erroneously identified: that is actually a photo of Deir el Bahri, Hatshepsut’s mortuary temple on the other (west) side of the Nile, built into a cliff that backs on the Valley of the Kings.

  3. DaveC says:

    tracy said:
    the photo by andrea.prave identified as being mummy statues at Karnak temple is erroneously identified: that is actually a photo of Deir el Bahri, Hatshepsut’s mortuary temple on the other (west) side of the Nile, built into a cliff that backs on the Valley of the Kings.

    Sorry Tracy but the mummy statues are correctly identified. I have just visited Karnack temple (and Hatshepsut’s temple) and my photos confirm the fact.
    With so many wonders to see it’s hardly suprising to get them confused.

  4. Jason says:

    I agree, the pictures are not wrong. I went there myself yesterday as i am on holiday in Egypt, however i found the pyramids at Giza more thrilling than al-Karnak, after studying egyptian history for the last 6 years to complete my doctorate thesis, it is very rewarding to finally see the locations i have dreamed of for so long

    thank you egypt for being so welcoming 🙂

  5. Amazing! Is all I could imagine saying if I were right in front of the Temple, researching Egyptian history on Thutmoses I.
    Have to agree, it’s simply stunning!!!
    Ana~

  6. zzzzzk says:

    wow egypt is great 🙂

  7. uma says:

    I love ancient history very much. A history lover must go there , right? interesting !

  8. alina says:

    i have tomorow test of this!!!!

  9. Tasha says:

    I’m going to visit Egypt soon can’t wait

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