The Karnak Temple

The Karnak Temple is a great subject for the topic of iconiclash. As known, the Egyptians believed in many gods, a belief frowned upon by more popular religions such as Christianity. A lot of Egyptian gods were also depicted with the heads of animals, which is not often found in other religions.

The Karnak Temple, the largest temple in the world, is dedicated to Egyptian god Amun-Ra. To the egyptians, Amun was the god of air with goddess Mut as his consort. Amun-Ra was one of the eight ancient Egyptian gods who formed the Ogdoad of Hermopolis (Amun). The temple is located in Thebes, a city located on the East and West banks of the Nile river (Thebes and the Estate of Amun). The temple is used for worship of many gods and is seen as a place of the gods. The area immediately around Amun-Ra’s main sanctuary was known in antiquity as “Ipet-Sun” which means “the most select of places” (Jarus).

The temple itself is split into multiple sections, each serving a different purpose. The North side is dedicated to Montu, the Falcon-headed god of war. Montu was viewed as an important and prominent god (Montu).The falcon was seen as a bird that had protective powers and was often linked with royalty (Tour Egypt). The South side of the temple is a smaller area dedicated to Amun-Ra’s wife, goddess Mut (Jarus) and the East, although mostly destroyed intentionally in antiquity, is dedicated to Aten the sun disk (jarus).

The temple was not only a place to worship Egyptian gods, but it served other purposes as well. There are four major temples in the Estate of Amun- Karnak, Luxor, Medinet Habu and Deir el Bahri. They were linked in ancient times by processional ways and axis alignments designed for the celebration of processional festivals (Jarus). Processional roads were permanently decorated for formal parades. The four halls are all in an axis of alignment where a line of imagery will pass down the middle of two different buildings. One processional way ran from Karnak to Luxor, 1.86 miles both on the east bank of the Nile river. Karnak's east and west axis were aligned with Deir el Bahri's east and west axis across the river. Luxor and Medinet Habu were also aligned with each other across the river. Main festivals that were celebrated at these temples featured the god's procession from Karnak to Luxor ( Feast of Opet), from Luxor to Medinet Habu ( the Feast of Amunemopet), and from Karnak to Deir el Bahri (Feast of the Valley). The stone-paved processional routes passed through a series of pylons in Karnak. Lines of sphinxes stood on both sides of the street. Along the way were small, formal shrines that provided a place for the priests carrying the god's barque, a ceremonial boat, to rest on a stone pedestal. The route from Karnak led south to Khonsu's temple, Mut's temple, and to the Luxor temple. The most important of these processional festivals was the Feast of Opet (Jarus).

The Karnak Temple was seen as an extremely holy place and was referred to as a place for the gods. Majority of the people in Egypt were poor and illiterate or were either slaves. The mass of people who visited the temple went through the Eastern gate where the shrine of “Amun of the Hearing Ear” allowed ordinary people to approach the god with requests.

The Karnak Temple was originally built 4,000 years ago by the seven kings of the twelfth dynasty and was later finished by the kings of the 18th, 19th and 20th dynasty.

Although the temple as a whole was dedicated to the chief god of the Egyptian pantheon, Amun-Ra, one of the most important buildings in it was the “Festival Hall of Thutmose III” (Thebes and the Estate of Amun). At the entrance of the building stands four colossal statues of Thutmose III dressed and posed as the god Osiris, the first king of Egypt. For the ancient viewer, these statues established the connection between the temple and the office of king. Inside of the limestone building, the columns resemble the poles of military tents, recalling Thutmose III’s countless military expeditions(Thebes and the Estate of Amun). This also emphasizes the king's role as the protector of Egypt. The decoration of the interior also establish the king's role as ruler of the universe. Relief sculpture includes a line of scenes portraying the underworld god Sokar, the solar god Re, the procreative form of the god Amun, the Jubilee Festival called sed, and the king's ancestors. Re and Sokar affiliated the king with “all that is above and below the Earth” (Thebes and the Estate of Amun). The procreative Amun helped the king “assure fertility of the Earth” (Thebes and the Estate of Amun). The Jubilee Festival-the most ancient of festivals, is demonstrated by the architectural layout of the step Pyramid complex at Saqqara- renewed the king’s power in the perpetual cycle (Thebes and the Estate of Amun). The building shows the close connection between worship of Amun and the legitimacy of the king.

Ancient Egyptians believed that towards the end of the annual agricultural cycle, the gods and the earth became exhausted and required energy from the chaotic energy of the cosmos (Karnak Temple Dates). To accomplish the magical regeneration the, Opet festival was held annually at Karnak and Luxor. It generally lasted for twenty-seven days and was also a celebration of the bond between the pharaoh and the god Amun-Ra (Karnak Temple Dates). The procession began at Karnak and ended at Luxor Temple, one and a half miles to the south. The statue of the god Amun-Ra was bathed with holy water, dressed in linen, and decorated with gold and silver jewellery (Karnak Temple Dates). Then the priests placed the god in a shrine and onto a ceremonial barque which was supported by poles for to make it easier to carry. The then Pharaoh emerged from the temple, his priests carrying the barque on their shoulders, and together they moved into the crowded streets. A troop of Nubian soldiers who were serving as guards beat on their drums, and musicians sang along with the priests as incense was released into the air.

At Luxor, the Pharaoh and his priests would enter the temple and ceremonies were performed to rejuvenate Amun-Ra, recreate the cosmos and transfer Amun’s power to Pharaoh. When he finally emerged from the temple sanctuary, the vast crowds cheered him and celebrated the guaranteed fertility of the earth and the expectation of abundant harvests (Karnak Temple Dates). During the festival the people were given over 11000 loaves of bread and more than 385 jars of beer, and some were allowed into the temple to ask questions of the god. The priests spoke the answers through a concealed window high up in the wall, or from inside hollow statues.

The Karnak Temple is the largest temple ever built. It stands in an enclosure that’s 172,222 feet tall (Thebes and the Estate of Amun). The area immediately around the main sanctuary was known in antiquity as ‘Iprt-Sun” which means “the most select of places” (Jarus). The temple is full of statues of gods and protectors which give the temple a sense of security and and guardianship. Hieroglyphs fill the temple, telling stories of past kings and their lives, showing the connection between that king and the god Amun-Ra. The temple has a superior feel to it as it dedicated to the king of gods and kings who were seen as rulers of the universe.

Many temples around the world are dedicated to their superior beings but none compare to the Karnak Temple. The Karnak Temple, built by many kings throughout a span of dynasties who all put in their own piece of architectural preference. This temple is great in size and rich in history as it tells the history of Egypt's past kings.