Karnak-Tempel

Floor plan of Ip.t-Sw.t ("Elected Place", modern-day Karnak; plan according to Larché, 2007) at the times of Hatshepsut and Thutmosis III;
in Red the "Red Chapel", shown here at the actual discussed location between the "Chambers" of Hatshepsut;
in Yellow the 6th Pylon, in Green the 5th Pylon, and in Pink the 4th Pylon;
in Brown the "Great Festival Court" of Thutmosis II.

The center of the temple of Amun at Karnak extends from 4. Pylon eastwards to the "Festival Hall" (Akh-menu) of Thutmosis III (in the floor plan above the Akh menu would follow directly in the east - i.e. above - the central district). For today's visitors this area of the temple is very confusing, since wide areas are destroyed and beyond the hypostyle of Sethi I or Ramses II one practically walks through ruins. Beyond that the temple was totally altered several times during the 18. Dynasty.

Senwosret I (Sesostris I, 2nd king of the 12. Dynasty) in the Middle Kingdom (MK) was the first king who had built an important temple at Karnak. The large granite thresholds - of rose granite - of the central floor which are still to be seen today (see the following photo) between the barqueshrine and the "Festival Hall" were probably part of the temple raised by Senwosret I.

View from the barqueshrine of Philippos Arrhidaios (see below) to the "Festival Hall" of Thutmosis III. Here on the central west-east axis of the temple granite thresholds of the old temple from the MK are still to be seen as well as the basis of the throne of Amun made of limestone.

Plan of the temple of Senwosret I. (taken from: Gabolde, Carlotti, Czerny, 1999); the black blocks represent the remains of the granite thresholds, the dashed square mark the location of the elder platform excavated in the ground of the Middle Kingdom court. In the left upper corner the reconstructed position of the throne of Amun is shown.

This portico had been dismantled during the reign of Hatshepsut when she built the "Palace of Maat". However, the impressive facade was "resurrected" in her Mortuary Temple at Deir el-Bahari - where the number of pillars on each side wings had been doubled and the number of Osiride figures was increased to 13.

The position of the throne of Amun (as shown above in the plan of the temple of Senwosret I) is more or less a guess and based on the assumption that Thutmosis III copied the old temple when he built his festival temple (Akh menu) - and there the throne is located in a room in the north-east corner of the Akh menu.

The remains of the platform, which was approx. 10 m long and 8 m wide, consisted of at least two stone layers and was built on the western part of the Middle Kingdom court i.e. between the Chambers of Hatshepsut and the granite thresholds of Senwosret I. The platform is tentatively dated into the time of Amenemhat I. Gabolde, Carlotti, and Czerny (1999) assumed that this platform functioned as the foundation of a small temple comparable to the Small Temple of Amun at Medinet Habu which was erected on platform of comparable size.

After the kings of the MK the 17. Dynasty from Thebes felt in special way obliged to Amun who after long fights led them to the victory over the Hyksos, and to the reunification of the kingdom. Logically they and the rulers of the following dynasties derived the legitimation of their rule from Amun. Therefore, they extended the modest temple of Amun erected in the middle kingdom to an impressive monument. Thereby, the oldest and holiest area from the temple of the middle kingdom was integrated into the new building without changes.

Amenhotep I extended the temple. In the stone magazines of Karnak there are over 800 decorated blocks and 500 block fragments made of limestone which come from the temple buildings of Amenhotep I. The blocks and fragments were already cleared away in antiquity by his successors and were reused as filler, so e.g. in 7. Pylon and in the foundations of the Akh-menu erected by Thutmosis III, in the 3. Pylon and in the buildings raised in the northern area of Karnak by Amenhotep III (Graindorge, 1999). It is only due to the re-use that these blocks had not been destroyed in later time by limestone robbers.

The reconstruction on the basis of these blocks showed in a large-scaled temple which was erected in the front of the sanctuary of the MK (the following floor plan shows the temple after the 2nd extension phase; according to Carlotti taken from Graindorge, 1999). Beyond that it was shown that Amenhotep I obviously had dismantled and replaced own buildings by newer ones.

The 2nd extension phase was much more ambitious. The 11 chapels on the southern side of the court were rebuilt and supplemented by comparable chapels (position 1) built on the opposite side of the court. The enclosure walls (4) around the barqueshrine were rebuilt converted and connected by two walls with 8 niches each (5) with the sides of the court. The niches were probably aligned to the east and contained statues of the king. The brick wall around the temple part of the MK was replaced by a limestone wall (7). Behind the southern chapels a slaughterhouse was erected as an open court (10).
To the west an approx. 7 meters high wall with a central gate has been erected (6, 8, 9), later the 6. Pylon was built here. Furthermore, all brick walls originating from the MK were taken down in this area of the temple and another, more than 10 m high gate (12) was built were later the 4. Pylons has been erected. Still further west Amenhotep I let built an accurate copy of the "White Chapel" (CB= Chapelle Blanche) of Senwosret I (Sesostris I) just opposite to the "White Chapel" itself. In the corner south-west of CB Amenhotep I erected another the so-called Alabaster-Chapel (re-erected in the Open-Air-Museum, Karnak).

The buildings of Amenhotep I. did not survive for a long time. The fact that blocks had been already used as filler in during the reign of Thutmosis III and later of Amenhotep III. means that they probably had been dismantled already in the times of Thutmosis I. to Hatschepsut.

In front of the 4. Pylon Thutmosis I erected the first pair of obelisks which were donated for the temple of the Amun in Karnak. Today, one of these two obelisks is still standing at his original place. The architect Ineni, responsible for the work on both, reports in his tomb (TT81) about the erection of the obelisks. At least 17 obelisks helped to define the sacred landscape of Karnak (in pair erected were: 2 of Thutmosis I in front of pylon 4, 2 of Thutmosis II/Hatshepsut in front of pylon 4, 2 of Hatshepsut between pylon 4 and 5 and another pair in the east of Karnak behind the "Festival Hall" (Akh-menu) of Thutmosis IV, a pair of Thutmosis III in front of pylon 4 - between the pairs of Thutmosis I and II - and a 2nd pair in front of pylon 7, 1 of Thutmosis IV, 2 of Amenhotep III - in the district of Month at Karnak -, and 2 of Ramses II in the temple "Amun, hearing ears" in the east of Karnak). In addition, a single Obelisk - the Lateran-obelisks, built under Thutmosis III, erected by Thutmosis IV - was venerated in the temple of Amun-Ra-Horakhty (Bell, 1999, Habachi, 2000).

During "rescue work" on the rather destroyed 4. Pylon four of originally 8 niches were discovered in 1999, which still contained the lower parts of 4 seated Osirid statues made of sandstone. Due to the inscriptions these statues were erected by Hatshepsut on behalf of her father Thutmosis I. Fragments indicated the existence of a relief on the eastern page of the Pylon - aligned to the inner court and the sanctuary - into which the niches had been integrated.

One of the seated Osirid statues erected by Hatshepsut on behalf of her father Thutmosis I. The inscription on the right side of the statue shows the cartouche with the throne name of Hatshepsut on the seat and a cartouche with her birth-name right of the legs.

The niches made of limestone blocks belonged to a previously undetected eastern front of the pylon and had been established together with the core structure of the pylon. Numerous limestone fragments of door frames prove that the niches were decorated in sunk relief. A lintel with a winged sun disk and a base line including foot over it shows that the eastern front of the Pylons had been decorated with a large relief.

From the whole temple section of the middle kingdom, between the barqueshrine and the enclosure wall in the east, practically nothing had survived. Most likely, the buildings raised by Amenhotep I and his predecessors were already ramshackle at times of Thutmosis III but could not be pulled down for religious reasons. Thus, Thutmosis III raised new buildings directly in the east of the old temple area.

Today's view from the "Festival Hall" (Akh-menu) of Thutmosis III to the rear side of the barqueshrine of Philippos Arrhidaios and the "Chambers of Hatshepsut"; on the right behind the barqueshrine the obelisk of Hatshepsut is to be seen, that of Thutmosis I is to be seen on the left but only the top is to be detected; on the free space between the "Festival Hall" and the barqueshrine the first temple from the MK and that of Amenhotep I had been built with limestone.

The ramshackle buildings between the "Chambers of Hatshepsut" (in which Thutmosis III installed a new barqueshrine after he had dismantled the Red Chapel built before them), and the new rooms in the east of the temple (Akh-menu, etc..) erected by Thutmosis III were cleared away in late roman time by limestone robbers - therefore is there today a relatively empty space (see picture above).

After her father Hatshepsut rearranged the temple district enormously. With security three extensions or replacing buildings, which took place in the reign of Hatshepsut, could be identified (all represented on an own page):

- the Red Chapel - was erected as a new central sanctuary in front of the Chambers of Hatshepsut

- Chambers of Hatshepsut - a complex of rooms behind the red chapel which replaced the older central part of the temple, i.e. the sanctuary and niches erected by Amenhotep I

- two pairs of obelisks, one pair east of the central buildings of the temple, the 2nd pair in the Hall of Wadjit between the 4. and 5. pylon

- 4 small monuments to be dated in the time of upheaval - from the reign of Thutmosis II into the first years of the reign of his son, Thutmosis III, with Hatshepsut acting as Queen Regent

- building east of the temple of the Middle Kingdom.

The last large structural modification of the central temple took place under Thutmosis III. Between the 5. Pylon and the "Chamber of Hatshepsut" a further small gate was added - the 6. Pylon. The Red Chapel of Hatshepsut was dismantled, since it stood in the way when Thutmosis III raised his own buildings. Thutmosis III replaced the Red Chapel by a new barqueshrine, which was set back along the temple axle to the place where the sanctuary had been originally situated by Amenhotep I (later in Greek times, the barqueshrine of Thutmosis III was replaced by another one built between 323 - 317 B.C. by Philippos Arrhidaios). To build the new barqueshrine on its original place Thutmosis III had to open the central rooms of the "Chambers of Hatshepsut" and to remove some transverse walls. As far as possible Thutmosis III restore the hierarchic structure of the central buildings as it was designed by Amenhotep I.

Between the sanctuary and the new small pylon a vestibule was established by seven columns each on both sides of the passage. Most likely also the two obelisks of Thutmosis III had been erected here -these were captured in 7. century by the Assyrians. Further changes under Thutmosis III also affected the columned hall - the "venerable Wadjit Hall" - between 4. and 5. Pylon (see floor plan above). The two obelisks of Hatshepsut were immured up to the height of the roof, which today still is identifiable in the photo above by the darker lower part of the obelisk.

Nevertheless, the immuration of the two obelisks of Hatshepsut during the reign of Thutmosis III is frequently seen in connection with her persecution. However, here one may point out that Thutmosis III - like other kings before and after him - had no problems to tear down buildings of his predecessors if they disturbed his own plans. On the other hand, there are no notes whether obelisks had ever been taken down (by Egyptian kings). Obviously, these were so holy that even for Thutmosis III their immuration during the roofing of the Wadjit Hall between 4. and 5. Pylon had been the only justifiable solution. From the immuration one cannot deduce with compelling logic a desire of revenge.

The limestone block shown above was found 1930 at Karnak by the French excavator H. Chevrier. The block belongs to another dismantled chapel - probably a monument of Thutmosis II (Aa-cheper-en-Ra) -, from which only very few fragments had survived. The original position of this chapel in district of Karnak as well as its appearance is unknown. Today this block is exhibited in the museum of Luxor (Courtesy: M. Jennrich).

The scene shows Hatshepsut offering wine (in the round containers) to Amun-Ra, a scene, which is reserved to the king. She carries here the high Atef crown (king's crown of double feathers, sun-disk and ram horns), which associates the king with the sun God. Otherwise the representation is, however, typically female, with the long dress, which reaches down to the feet, and the almost closed position of the feet. However, the female is clearly identified by the titles "King of Upper and Lower Egypt" and "Lady of the Two Lands", Maat-ka-Ra. Despite the otherwise female attire this indicates that she already had made an important step to the throne.