Egypt Things to Do Tips by Muya

Luxor, the ancient Thebes...A name that calls a lot of mythical places to your mind... A place rich in history and culture. A good starting point for your trip in Egypt, as the area is full of interesting monuments to visit. On the east bank, you’ll discover the splendid temples of Karnak and Luxor, and a few museums like the Mummification Museum.
On the west bank, lies the Valley of the Kings, the Valley of the Queens, and Deir El Medineh, the village where the artisans working on the tombs of the monarchs used to live. You’ll find also plenty of temples as the famous temple of Hatshepsut , the temple of Sethi I, and the Ramesseum of great Ramses II, who ruled ancient Egypt for 66 years.

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An avenue bordered with two rows of ram-headed sphinxes, each one holding a small statue of Ramses II between its pals, leads you to the temple of Karnak. One of those monumental avenues of sphinxes, called Dromos, once linked Karnak to the temple of Luxor. According to the mythology, god Amun used this avenue to meet his wife Mout, living in the temple of Luxor, Amun's harem.

During the pharaohs time, Luxor was also called Ouaset (the city of the scepter), simply Niout (the city) or Het Amon (the castle of Amun). God Amun is actually the protector of this town that once was the capital of Egypt, and his home was considered to be the temple of Karnak. Amun, “the Hidden” was often represented by his symbolic animal, the ram.

Your heart starts beating when you’re about to discover this sacred place of Ancient Egypt, where so many great pharaohs have penetrated to communiate with their gods, regenerate their strenghts, or celebrate the Opet Festival. A brief hesitation before entering, and then a sort of peace invades you as you walk in the first courtyard. After all these centuries, the building still imposes admiration and silence, despite the many tourists :-)
The imposing Hypostyle Hall immediatly catches your eyes... But first of all, some useful explanation by our guide, Evine.

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Address: Luxor, Temple of Karnak

Everything inside a temple is a symbolic representation of reality. The pylon symbolizes the horizon, each part of the door representing a hill between which the sun rises each day.

The pylon in Ancient Egypt was an elaborate gateway. With its 113 meters wide and 15 meters thick, the first pylon of Karnak is actually the last one that was build, probably by Nectanebo I. The lack of decorations indicates that this main entrance to the temple was not finished.

On the picture, you’ll see a succession of pylons in the distance, build by other pharaohs. Karnak used to be a modest temple under the XII dynasty but has then been constantly enlarged, each pharaoh wishing to add his personal touch to the temple, mainly those of the New Empire.

The temple of Karnak is actually a huge complex made of different temples dedicated to different gods, as for example the temple of Mout and the temple of Montou. But the most important one is the Great Temple of Amun, which is the one we maily visited.

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This is the biggest inner courtyard in an Egyptian temple (100m / 80 m), where processions of the sacred barques used to halt under Ramses II.

In the middle of the courtyard, stand the ruins of the Taharqa kiosk. We suppose it was a place where the priests carrying the sacred barques could put them down and rest for a few minutes.

To the south, and thus at your right, is he temple of Ramses III.

And in front of you, the entrance to the splendid Hypostyle Hall, with the huge statue of Ramses II, the only one that remains.

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The temple possesses every caracteristic of the temples in the New Empire : a pylon preceeded by colossus, a hall with portico, a hypostyle hall with offertory scenes carved on the walls, and a small naos divided into three chapels for the sacred barques (used for the processions).

On this picture you can see the osiride pillars on the left, representing the king in its osiris form , and at the back the remaining papyrus column of the Taharqa kiosk.

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Address: Karnak, Great Temple of Amun

One of the colonnades of the hypostyle hall.

A few moments to admire the hieroglyphs on the walls. The ankh cross has something fascinating, I couldn’t help running my fingers on this symbol of life, “the million years’ key”, so important to Ancient Egypt’s civilization.

At the end of this hall, you’ll find the small naos and the chapels for the sacred barques. The barque of Amun used to lie in the biggest one in the middle.

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Address: Karnak, Great Temple of Amun

The second pylon of the Great Temple of Amun was build by Horemheb, one of the direct successors of young pharaoh Toutankhamun. Some attribute it to Ramses II though, but it is highly probable that the great king usurpated the building, as he often did during his reign. Huge statues of Ramses stood on each side of the pylon, but only one remains (see previous tips).

Hypostyle actually means “hall with a ceiling supported by columns”. Openwork stone windows, known as claustra, once lined both sides of the Hall's central gallery. Placed at a certain height, they guaranteed penumbra and freshness when the temple was intact, and only the central columns of the hall were lit by the sun.

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Address: Karnak

Difficult to describe one’s feelings when discovering this place of an almost unreal beauty... ! But one thing is sure : you instantly know that your visit in Luxor was worth it !

With its 23 meters high and 102 meters wide for a depth of 53 meters, this forest of 134 stone columns is more than impressive ! The capitals of the 12 papyrus columns in the middle of the hall reach 15 meters of circumference !!

Decorations on the columns illustrate the honnors given by pharaoh to the Theban triad : Amun, Mout, and their son Khonsou.

As I said already, Karnak has been build all through the centuries by many pharaohs, but the hypostyle hall is mainly due to Amenophis III, Sethi I and Ramses II.

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Address: Temple of Karnak

Here I am, sitting at the feet of a column... and feeling as small as can be ! The splendor of the hypostyle room, where only priests and some cleansed faithful were allowed to penetrate, leaves me without voice. The magical atmosphere that is still perceptible today, plays with my imagination... Lost in my thoughts, I can see meditative priests passing by in their linen dress, ready to celebrate the cult of God Amun...
Very productive imagination indeed :-)

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Address: Temple of Karnak

We have to represent ourselves that the whole temple of Karnak, as well as every monument in Ancient Egypt was painted with bright colours. Of course time has wiped them out almost completely. This was a work that required great care and that was only entrusted to the most reliable artisans.
This picture shows a portion of the ceiling where we can distinguish some traces of paintings.

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Address: Temple of Karnak