Karnak Temple Picture Gallery
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Karnak Temple

Karnak Temple

Dedicated to the Thebes Triad of God Amun, his wife the Goddess Mut, and their son the God Khonsu, the Karnak Temple complex was built and added to over a period of approximately 2,000 years by a long succession of Pharaohs. Each Pharaoh left their own mark on Karnak by modifications and additions.

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Ramesses ll and Bintanat Colossi
 

Ramesses ll and Bintanat Colossi

A colossi (giant statue) of Ramesses ll with his daughter Bintanat. Marrying family members was common practice within  ancient Egyptian royal families, in consequence Bintanat later became one of the royal wives of Pharaoh Ramesses ll.

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Queen Bintanat

Queen Bintanat

Hypostyle Hall architrave

Karnak Temple Complex Hypostyle Hall Architrave

The underside of one of the architraves resting on the columns of the Hypostyle Hall built by the Pharaohs Seti l and Ramesses ll between 1290 and 1213 B.C. It is interesting to note that the head and thorax of the bees appear to have been defaced.

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Human Headed Sphinx (Anrosphinx)

Human Headed Sphinx (Anrosphinx)

A sphinx with a human head (Anrosphinx) located within the Karnak Temple complex. An avenue of Anrosphinx was built by the Pharaoh Nectanebo I between 380-362 B.C. and ran from the Temple of Luxor to the Temple of Karnak.

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Karnak Temple - The Ethiopian Courtyard

Karnak Temple - The Ethiopian Courtyard

This row of Criosphinxes (ram headed sphinxes) are in storage in the Ethiopian Courtyard just inside the first pylon of the Karnak temple. Each has a representation of the Pharaoh between its front paws to show that they are protecting him. They once lined the Dromos (straight paved avenue flanked with sphinxes) known as the Avenue of Ram-Headed Sphinxes.

To the right of the picture can be seen a pile of mud bricks that give an insight into how the pylons were constructed.

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A Hypostyle Hall Column

A Hypostyle Hall Column

One of the 134 columns that make up the Hypostyle Hall in the Karnak Temple complex, the Hypostyle Hall was built by the Pharaohs Seti l and Ramesses ll between 1290 and 1213 B.C. Like many Ancient Egyptian columns it represents a closed Papyrus tree.

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Sculpture of a Scarab Beetle

Sculpture of a Scarab Beetle

A large Sculpture of a scarab beetle made out of red granite which represented the god Khepri , in ancient Egypt the god of the sun and rebirth. The ancient Egyptians thought that the god Khepri renewed the sun every day and then rolled it above the horizon until the end of the day when he carried it through the other world until the next sunrise. As the scarab beetle would roll a ball of dung in a similar way the ancient Egyptians often depicted the god Khepri as a scarab-headed man or even just a scarab.

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Dromos of Criophinxes

Dromos of Criophinxes

Two rows of these sphinxes with the heads of a ram (Criophinxes) now line an avenue that leads to the first pylon of the Karnak Temple complex, but originally lined the dromos (straight paved avenue flanked with sphinxes) known as the Avenue of Ram-Headed Sphinxes.

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Pharaoh Ramesses II making an offering

Pharaoh Ramesses II making an offering

This carved relief is on the south west wall of the Hypostyle Hall built by Seti l and Ramesses ll in the Karnak Temple complex. Ramesses II is depicted making an offering to the God Amun in the company of the Goddess Mut, the wife of Amun (behind Ramesses ll), and Khonsu, the son of Amun & Mut (behind Amun).

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The photographs in this section are all copyright © Paul Drake 2014, Paul has allowed us to publish his pictures for your use in all educational work provided they are not used online or commercially, if you wish to only use them in a written educational project no further permission is required from Siteseen Ltd. or the copyright holder Paul Drake.

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