The Site of Karnak 卡纳克神庙

文刂火山

In the myths and legends of ancient Egypt, the birth of Amun - Ra is closely related to the primeval waters. At the beginning of creation, the primeval waters of Nun were the cradle of all things. From these waters, a lotus flower emerged. As the lotus bloomed, Amun - Ra was born from its center.
This birth symbolized the emergence of light and life from the chaos of the primeval world. Amun - Ra was initially a local god in Thebes. As Thebes rose to prominence, he gradually merged with the sun god Ra and became Amun - Ra, the king of the gods, venerated in the Karnak Temple as the supreme deity governing the universe. It is the Karnak Temple that is the topic of my post.

Historical Background
• The origin of construction: It was built during the Middle Kingdom, when Thebes became the capital of Egypt and laid the foundation for the construction of the Karnak Temple. It was the product of the ancient Egyptians' worship of the sun god Amon.
• Construction process: After many dynasties, many pharaohs participated in the construction and expansion, such as Tutmos I, Queen Hatshepsut, Tutmos III, etc. of the 18th Dynasty, Ramses I, Seti I and Ramses II of the 19th Dynasty, etc., lasted for more than 1,500 years.
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Architectural features
• Overall layout: Covering an area of 100 hectares, separated by brick walls into three parts, dedicated to the sun god Amon, the god Mentu and the wife of Amon God Mut. The plane of the whole temple is slightly trapezoidal, and the main hall is arranged on the east-west axis. The gatehouse, pillar hall, courtyard and other buildings are arranged in an orderly manner along the central axis, and there are also buildings branching south.
• Pillar Hall: The large pillar hall is 102 meters wide and 53 meters deep, with a total of 134 giant stone pillars. The 12 largest stone pillars in the center are 23 meters high and 15 meters long. The top of the pillars is lotus-shaped or papyrus-shaped, which can accommodate 50 people to stand.javascript:;
• Tower gate: The temple has 10 gatehouses, and each gatehouse has a corresponding pillar hall or courtyard. Among them, the 44-meter-high and 131-meter-wide tower gate is very spectacular, which is a typical representative of ancient Egyptian temple architecture.
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Religious significance
• God worship: It is the worship center of the sun god Amon. The ancient Egyptians believed that Amun was the creator and ruler of all things. By holding various religious ceremonies in the Karnak temple, they prayed for the blessing of Amon to achieve a good harvest, health and national prosperity.javascript:;
• Religious rituals: Temples are important places for religious rituals in ancient Egypt. Priests carry out daily sacrificial activities here, such as offering sacrifices, holding prayer ceremonies, etc. These rituals are important ways of religious beliefs and cultural inheritance in ancient Egypt.

Artistic value
• Relief and painting: The pillars and walls in the temple are engraved with exquisite reliefs and bright paintings. The content is rich and diverse, recording the myths and legends of ancient Egypt, the great achievements of the pharaohs, and the daily life scenes of people at that time.
• Obelisks and statues: There are also famous obelisks and statues of pharaohs and concubines in the temple. For example, the obelisk erected by Queen Hatshepsut is 29 meters high and weighs 323 tons. It is the tallest obelisk at that time and is now the tallest obelisk in Egypt.