The Temple of Karnak
One of the things I learned on my trip was that the main goal of ancient Egyptians was to insure eternal life. For the kings and the nobility much time and effort was spent preparing their tombs and for their funeral rituals. It was important to get most everything done during one's lifetime as once one died there were only 70 days of funeral rituals to make any final touches. In fact, many tombs are unfinished if the person died suddenly or lived only a short life or reign.
The two temples we saw, the Temple of Karnak and the Temple of Luxor were designed to honor the god Amun. The Temple of Luxor was the temple of his "harem."
Many of the temples are actually funerary temples. This meant that they were designed to be used once for the funeral rites of the king or queen. Sometimes they were used for additional funerals but that was not always the case and they were not necessarily intended to be used multiple times. They also served as the place to honor the king who had built it.
Karnak is overwhelming. It's construction went on over a long period of time. It was added to until it became and immense shrine. Most of the shrine would never have been seen by anyone except the king and the priests. That means that all of the incredible decoration, etc. was not designed to impress the common people but to serve the cult rituals.
There were many painted walls and ceilings. In fact, at one time the entire temple would have been painted. The stone columns would have been white with splashes of color in the decoration. You can still see a little of the color on some of the columns. The effect would have been stunning. Here are some recreations.
This was one of those situations where the sensory overload came on pretty quickly. It is almost impossible to put into words the experience of being there. The antiquity, the size, the history, the beauty. About all I can say is "Wow." I feel so blessed to have had this opportunity.
After the Temple of Karnak we went to the Temple of Luxor. More on that tomorrow.
The two temples we saw, the Temple of Karnak and the Temple of Luxor were designed to honor the god Amun. The Temple of Luxor was the temple of his "harem."
Many of the temples are actually funerary temples. This meant that they were designed to be used once for the funeral rites of the king or queen. Sometimes they were used for additional funerals but that was not always the case and they were not necessarily intended to be used multiple times. They also served as the place to honor the king who had built it.
Karnak is overwhelming. It's construction went on over a long period of time. It was added to until it became and immense shrine. Most of the shrine would never have been seen by anyone except the king and the priests. That means that all of the incredible decoration, etc. was not designed to impress the common people but to serve the cult rituals.
An avenue of sphinxes lining the way to the entrance.
The massive entry pylon
A courtyard with more spinxes
An obelisk taken through the hypostyle hall
Pillars in the hypostyle hall - there are 134 of them in 16 rows.
There were many painted walls and ceilings. In fact, at one time the entire temple would have been painted. The stone columns would have been white with splashes of color in the decoration. You can still see a little of the color on some of the columns. The effect would have been stunning. Here are some recreations.
An actual wall painting
This was one of those situations where the sensory overload came on pretty quickly. It is almost impossible to put into words the experience of being there. The antiquity, the size, the history, the beauty. About all I can say is "Wow." I feel so blessed to have had this opportunity.
After the Temple of Karnak we went to the Temple of Luxor. More on that tomorrow.
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