in the background the Festival Hall of Thutmose III
Osiris statues on the Barque Chapel of Ramesses III
Statue of Ramses II with his daughter princess Bintanath
the obelisk of Hatshepsut
statues and stones waiting for restoration
the remaining column of the Kiosk of Tahraqa
The ruins of
Karnak in the city of Luxor are a testimony of the urge of some 30 pharaohs to leave the world a lasting sign of
their importance and grandeur.
When deemed appropriate they had no problem using materials from monuments erected by their predecessors.
Most
of the constructions took place between 2000 and 1000 BC during the heydays of the Middle and New Kingdom.
There
are several precincts in the fast complex, but most tourists only visit the section dedicated to
Amun-Ra.
Main features
here are the
Hypostyle Hall with its towering columns, the obelisk of
Hatshepsut, the statue of Ramses II and
the unfinished First Pilon with the avenue of ram-headed sphinxes that originally stretched all the way to Luxor Temple.
In
November 2002 we visited this ancient and amazing place in Nov 2002.
outside the Karnak temple complex
a broken obelisk points the way
in the Hypostyle Hall
the sphinxes with ram heads
