Gallery 8

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Obelisk of granite These huge pieces of granite were cut in one piece and brought from Aswan by boat. Slaves walked at each side of the boat and the journey would take seven months.

The Avenue of Cryocephalous Rams and the West Gate of the Karnak Temple Complex - The Temple of Amon-Ra. The avenue of ram-headed sphinxes leading to the first pylon which was built by the Ethiopian kings (656 BC). Originally there was three avenues of sphinxes one of which, two miles long, linked up with the avenue of human-headed sphinxes of the temple of Luxor.

The pylon was the large gate at the front of the temple. In front of the pylon were obelisks and large statues of the pharaoh.	The courtyard was a large open room without a roof. The outer walls showed scenes of the pharaoh in battle. .	Mudbrick ramp remains against great wall. This is how the Egyptians built up the wall then drew on it going down as they removed the mudbrick.
The Column of Taharqa The Libyan pharaohs (935-730 BC) built the vast court of the Bubastites. This column was once part of the kiosk of Taharka where the processional barks were kept.

The Great Hypostyle Hall of Karnak Temple was begun during the reign of King Sety I (c.1290-1279 B.C.) and was completed by his son, Ramesses II (c.1279-1213 B.C.).The hypostyle hall was a large room with columns. Most of the room was dark except for the centre aisle which was lit by small windows cut into the roof. This hall represented a marsh in the beginning of time. It was filled with columns that looked like papyrus plants. In the dark corners, the columns look like papyrus plants with closed flowers. In the centre where the light shined in, the columns look like papyrus plants blooming in the sun. Scenes of religious rituals were carved into the walls. Only the important priests and the pharaoh were allowed to enter the hypostyle hall. This room would have been used for performing religious rituals.

The following images show the capitals and lintels of the massive hypostyle hall, Great Temple of Amon

	The inner walls showed the pharaoh making offerings to the gods and goddesses. People were only allowed to enter the temple courtyard on festival days

Views of the magnificent columns of the Hypostyle Hall in Karnak Temple The north-south axis of the hall provides views which reveal not only the immensity but also the practicality of the architecture. The central row of 12 columns on the east-west axis are 69 feet/21 meters in height, about 33 feet/10 meters in circumference, and have open papyrus capitals. The 122 columns in the side aisles are 43 feet/13 meters in height, 27.5 feet/8.4 meters in circumference, and have closed papyrus-bud capitals (as seen here). The whole of this hall was roofed with stone slabs, and the interior was quite dark. The difference in height between the central and the side aisle columns was used to provide natural light through clerestory windows which have vertical stone slats.

The obelisk of Tutmose I, made of rose granite. This is the last of four obelisks which originally stood in front of the Fourth Pylon, which, in the time of Thutmose I, was the entrance into Karnak Temple. The obelisk is 71 feet high, sits on a base 6 feet square, and weighs about 143 tons.	The sacred lake was a pool of water next to the temple. It represented the world before time began. The priests used the water to perform rituals in the temple.	Akh-Menu of Tuthmosis III (The Festival Hall) also called the Temple of Millions of Years or Hall of Annals.