Karnak – magnificence by day
▲▲▲Sunday – up early for another exciting day – this time we are off to spend the morning at the Temple of Karnak. It was a real advantage going to the Sound and Light beforehand as we know what we are going to see by daylight but it never really prepared us for this. What an amazing place.
After the past days of the three ‘T’s – Torrid Touring of Temples – we tell Mohamed that we are not going to be hurried around anymore – we are going to take our time and have a look at everything. He sees the look in the eyes of Sekhmet and Thoth and thinks ‘better not argue with those two.’ A very wise decision.
Before we go into the Temple we have the opportunity to explore the local shopping centre and stock up on anything we need like water, film, batteries etc.
We will start with the majestic Processional Way – an avenue of ram-headed Sphinxes which lead to the first pylon. These are part of the 3 km avenue that connected Luxor Temple to Karnak.
Remember the earlier picture at the Temple of Luxor? This is the other end with the Sphinxes and me ready to welcome Pharoah.
Left is the main entrance gate and the first pylon built by the Ethiopian kings in 656BC.
HISTORY LESSON : The Temple of Karnak is the largest and the most complicated architecture in Egypt. Since the Middle Kingdom, Thebes was a centre of the cult of Amon-Ra and this temple dedicated to him had become the most important sanctuary in Thebes.
The Temple has two axis which define the composition of the world of Karnak. The axis of east to west corresponds with the orbit of the sun and means the sun in the heaven.
The axis south to north corresponds with the Nile and means absolute power of the Gods and Pharaoh. The area covered by the monuments is divided into three sections with rough brick walls separating them.
The largest, which covers about thirty hectares is the central area and also the best preserved. The most truly amazing feature is the hypostyle hall which is 120 metres long by 53 metres wide and has 134 columns each 23 metres high.
Over the years, the Temple was added to by many Pharaohs.
At the beginning of the 21st dynasty, there were two individuals rising to power about 1070BC. Smendes in the north at Tanis (the city from Indiana Jones fame) and Pinedjem in the south at Thebes.
Pinedjem apparently married Henuttaway, a daughter of Ramses XI. Pinedjem was the Pharaoh’s birth name and together with his ephithet, Mery-amun his name may be translated as ‘He who belongs to the Pleasant One (Horus or Ptah) Beloved of Amun’.
In the Forecourt there is this colossal statue that he stole from Ramses II (right) and had his own name inscribed on it. Many Pharaoh’s cut away their predecessors name and put their own on statues etc – not nice. He held office over Southern Egypt until his death in about 1032BC.
Next – through the second pylon and there it is – the fabulous Great Hypostyle Hall. I am just so excited – – the sun coming through the columns is breathtaking.
The columns are so huge and the inscriptions in their original paint are incredible. It is even more beautiful by daylight.
It was built around the 19th Egyptian Dynasty (ca. 1290-1224 BCE). The design was initially instituted by Hatshepsut at the North-west chapel to Amun in the upper terrace of Deir el-Bahri. It covers an area of 5,000 m2 and the roof, now fallen, was supported by 134 columns in 16 rows; the 2 middle rows are higher than the others 10m in circumference and 24m high).
The hall was not begun by Horemheb, or Amenhotep III as earlier scholars had thought but was built entirely by Seti I who inscribed the northern wing of the hall with inscriptions
How on earth did the ancients build and carve these monuments? After wandering in and out of the columns we decide we had better move on to explore the rest of the complex.
Last night we were told of a giant scarab that would bring good luck. Not one to pass up a golden chance of luck we search and find this gigantic scarab on the north-west corner of the sacred lake.
Mohamed tell us that if we walk around it three times we will have good luck – so – being the tourists we are – we walk around it three times!!! I am sure Mohamed had a right good old giggle at us. But doesn’t matter!
We are glad that we had the opportunity to see Karnak by Night – now we can put our new found knowledge into action and we constantly say ‘that’s what we saw the other night. I didn’t realise those statues were so big!.
Remember the photo of me at the Sound and Light standing in front of the statues in the pitch black? Well, on the left are the statues by day. Isn’t that amazing? Can you imagine what they were like all painted in bright colours?
It’s one of those ‘I didn’t realise they were so big’ moments.
The photo on the left was taken from our seating area for the Sound and Light. Today we get a great view of the Sacred Lake.
To the south of the girdle wall of Ramesses II at the Temple of Amun is a rectangular Sacred Lake, dug by Tuthmosis III. It is the largest of its kind and is lined with stone with stairways descending into the water.
It measures some 120 meters by 77 meters. Water from the lake, filled with groundwater, was used by the priests for ritual ablutions and other temple needs, and was also home to the sacred geese of Amun. However, it was symbolically important in the ancient Egyptian’s concept of creation, representing the primeval waters from which life arose
For sure, it was great to see all the places highlighted in the night time show, but it is not until you see things in the daylight that you realise just how huge this place is. It must have been absolutely stunning when the buildings and statues were all painted and intact.
After we walked as far as we could – and saw all that we could in our limited time (realistically – you would need a whole 12 months or more here and maybe that is not enough) we walked back to the entrance and discovered we still had a bit of extra time so I wandered back to the Hypostyle Hall.
As I was wandering around and being absolutely stunned by the sheer massiveness of the place, and in my own little world – out from behind one of these columns pops an Egyptian Mr Kodak wearing a galabea who told me where to stand to get a good photo. Well, who am I to argue?
He walked me around the columns and I finally ended up here – so this is the result. It cost me LE2.00 and well worth it, don’t you think? What better way to end a tour of this fabulous place.
After taking the photo and thanking my own personal photo guide I then had to find my own way out of the maze but really it wasn’t that difficult. Mr Kodak was off to find some more tourists who wanted to discover this ‘secret’ spot.
We certainly did spend a lot of time here – and when we all finally met up at the front of the Temple, Mohamed took a deep breath, plucked up the courage and said it is time to leave and for once we did not argue – well, not much – although we did tell him that even though we spent about 4 hours there the tour should be a full day event. It was the most amazing place. Anything you see about the Temple of Karnak in books does not do this place justice. It is monumental and truly worthy of the Pharaohs.
Going back to the boat we stop at the Soliman Perfume Palace – where I buy some perfume oil base that you mix with water. They have all the leading designer brands of perfume oil and I got one the same as ‘Femme’ by Rochas; except theirs is called Shaharazad. It is just like the real thing.
You put about 5 drops into a small atomiser and fill with water, give it a shake – and the perfume lasts all day. Incredible. I also bought some delicate glass perfume bottles – just for show. Now I have to nurse them all the way home and make sure they don’t break – along with the olive oil!
Back to the boat for lunch, an afternoon swim and a total relax and then we get a cab into Luxor. The boat is moored too far out from the city to walk. That is a real bummer. Maybe Insight should look at improving that situation.
Anyway, we walked around Luxor and spotted – you guessed it – the good old Golden Arches. We all decide that we want some ice cream cones. No matter where you go – there is always a McDonald’s not far away, I bet you could McDonald your way round this world if you were so inclined.
We walk past the Winter Palace Hotel where Lord Carnarvon stayed when Carter discovered the tomb of Tutankamen but it was too dark to take a photo – bummer.
Mental note made to get a better camera!
After more wandering the streets of Luxor – we head back to the boat because we have to pack and get up early in the morning; we are flying back to Cairo.
Highlight of the day : the Hypostyle columns at Karnak
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