An Unforgettable Experience in Egypt: the Karnak Temple
The temple of Karnak was known as Ipet-isut (most select of places) by the ancient Egyptians. This location has been in existence for 2000 year, and it has been made to praise the Theben triad of Mut, Amun and Khonsu. The temple is located in Luxor, Egypt.
The wonder and majesty found in this place is something that can overpower the greatness of the modern world, and in its day must have been awe inspiring. For the largely uneducated ancient Egyptian population this could only have been the place of the gods. It is the mother of all religious buildings, the biggest ever made, and a place of pilgrimage for nearly 4,000 years. Although, today’s pilgrims are mainly tourists.
The temple which is one of the top attractions in Egypt covers about 200 acres – 1.5 km by 0.8 km. The area of the sacred enclosure of Amun alone is 61 acres, and would hold ten average-sized European cathedrals.
The Home of Amun
This temple was dedicated to Amun. This god was considered unimportant until Thebes became Egypt’s capital in the 12th dynasty. He was represented in his original state as a goose and later as a ram, at the height of his power he was said to have a human head wearing a head dress of feathers-the only remaining goose symbolism.
In ancient times wars were not fought between countries but were considered as contests between gods. It was one god getting the best and defeating another , The god who wins sustain more power and so is his people. This is how Amun, with the help of Thutmose III and various other New Kingdom kings, rose to become the first supreme god of the known world and was hailed as God of gods.
Not much is known about this god compared to the others, he has no legends or magic to impress his followers, and this must be close to the idea of a godhead. His followers came from all the strata of society and he was known to some as ‘Vizier of the poor.’
The Sacred Lake
Every ancient Egyptian temple has its on sacred lake. Among all the temples, the largest one belongs to Karnak.This are was used during festivals, people would put up images of the gods in golden barges.
The water that reaches the Sacred Lake, which is considered the ocean of Nun, comes straight from the Nile river. Next to the lake is a small café where you can pit stop in the shade and fantasize about the temple in its golden ages.
The Hypostyle Hall
The Hypostyle hall in the Karnak Temple, at 54,000 square feet, and with its 134 columns (the tallest of the 134 columns reaches a height of 23 meters) is still the largest room of any religious building in the world. In this enormous forest of columns you get a genuine feeling of the wealth of the New Kingdom and of the grandness of Amun as the State-God.
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