The Egyptian Temple of Karnak

Of all of the temples we visited in Egypt one of my favourite was the Temple of Karnak.  And would it be bad to say it is because it was highly Instagrammable?  #sorry I am now sorry.  The temple complex was absolutely massive bu my favourite was the spade with  134 columns ranging from 42 to 92 feet tall, all battle scenes from the Pharaoh Ramesses III. But the most incredible part of this room with the columns was not the height but the width – 55 men can stand on the top of any one column. #funfacts. Take a look at my favourite room in the Temple of Karnak.

However, as I mentioned, there was much more to this 3,500 years old site.  While it is made of many temples all are dedicated to Amun, Mut and Khonsu (who are the cult gods of the sun and moon).  To give this perspective the Temple of Karnak is not only the largest temple in Egypt but the largest religious building ever constructed.   However, after weeks of so much history that fact was hard to grasp so to put it in perspective St Peter’s Cathedral in Rome, the Milan Cathedral in Italy, and the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris would all fit in it – see, quite big! 

Given the size it makes sense that all of the different temples in the Karnak complex are made of different materials, some of granite, sandstone and some of limestone but they all seem to go together. It is so old that historians can’t even agree on the origin of the name, some think it used to be called the Temple of Amun at Thebes, some think it was Ipet-isu, meaning the most select of places”, and the new name Karnak means “fortified city”.  Regardless of what we call it, the Temple of Karnak is definitely worth a visit, take a look: 

Would you visit the Temple of Karnak?