Temple of Karnak, Luxor

...to go and see some temple or other. I waved them off saying I was knackered and would catch up with them later and we could head to Valley of the Kings tomorrow together and went to lie down in our room. At this point I realised why all the touts at the railway station had been shouting about air-conditioning which we did not have. I am no stranger to heat and have been in many tropical countries and everyone has always said that the humid heat is ...
...heading to somewhere called the Temple of Karnak and headed out after them.

Karnak is a temple complex just outside of modern Luxor and would have been in the ancient city of Thebes and one of the largest temple sites in all of Egypt. The oldest temples were begun around 1700BC, or during the ancient Egyptian Middle Kingdom but work continued for around 1500 years making the complex one of continual additions, changes and expansion. ... more

Arriving off the train from Cairo into Luxor was a distinctly unpleasant experience. I had spent the night not sleeping, bolt upright in an uncomfortable chair, with a very friendly but somewhat irritating Egyptian man who had tried to force-feed me mutton (I'm vegetarian) and olives (which I disliked intensely but now love so maybe I do have something to be grateful for). I stepped down the carriage steps feeling like my eyes were swimming back inside my head and tried to stop swaying in the harsh glare of the sun. All I wanted to do was curl up somewhere cool and sleep for a very long time.

Unfortunately that wasn't going to happen as I fought my way through the group of touts who had gathered around the train station and ignoring them all trudged off in the 35 degree heat. It was only 9 am. Half an hour later I had made friends with another two backpackers and settled down into a hostel.

The two boys obviously hadn't had my traumatic experience coming down on the train, having gone first class and were all psyched up to go and see some temple or other. I waved them off saying I was knackered and would catch up with them later and we could head to Valley of the Kings tomorrow together and went to lie down in our room. At this point I realised why all the touts at the railway station had been shouting about air-conditioning which we did not have. I am no stranger to heat and have been in many tropical countries and everyone has always said that the humid heat is the worst yet I have never experienced the intensity of that dry heat in Luxor and other places along the edges of the Sahara. After 15 minutes I gave up, grabbed a guidebook to see that the boys had marked they were heading to somewhere called the Temple of Karnak and headed out after them.

Karnak is a temple complex just outside of modern Luxor and would have been in the ancient city of Thebes and one of the largest temple sites in all of Egypt. The oldest temples were begun around 1700BC, or during the ancient Egyptian Middle Kingdom but work continued for around 1500 years making the complex one of continual additions, changes and expansion.

Obviously from the rather long and winding introduction I gave, I didn't really have good idea what it was I was heading to see except from the blurb given in the guidebook. Also although it was somewhere that I had heard mentioned it didn't seem to be one of those places that everyone said you had to see or a must in every tourist guidebook around the world. I was completely misguided on this as it turns out to be one of the most visited sites in Egypt but my personal experience was that Karnak was largely overlooked as everyone rushed to Valley of the Kings and Queens. However, of all the sites in Egypt this would be the one that I was most impressed with. Perhaps it is actually because I didn't have the overblown hype of other Egyptian sites weighing on my mind regarding Karnak that I was able to be wowed by it, but whatever the reason this temple is the place that I would recommend above all else in Egypt as the thing to see.

The Temple complex is made of sandstone and like many ancient Egyptian sites it can seem to rise out of the desert whilst simultaneously blending into it. It is mind boggling how the huge pieces of stone were even moved never mind positioned and made into the beautiful decorated structures that exist on the site today. In ancient times, Karnak was known as Ipet-isut, 'The most select of places', and is a dedication to the Theban, or some of the most prominent ancient Egyptian, gods. Karnak is spread over a huge area with a scattering of temples, hallways and pools but it is only the first grouping and the most impressive (I am told) that is open to the public. This is the precinct of Amun-Re.

Walking up to Karnak is an awing view as you walk between two rows of small sphinxes up to the high gates. Through this it only gets more beautiful as the intricate reliefs carved on almost every undamaged surface can be seen clearly. There are kings and gods glaring down all around. After the initial courtyard is the most impressive part of the complex as you enter the Hypostyle Hall. This is the famous Hall of pillars and by far the most compelling site I saw in Egypt. Walking in, the huge pillars towered above and lines of them extended in front of me so that my perception almost seemed to be altered for a moment as the mass of pillars pulsed in front. The initial site of this room of pillars is quite breath-taking but after I had a moment or two what was best for me were the different carvings and paintings on each of the pillars many of which are still in very good condition. I could have spent hours walking around.

After the Hypostyle Hall through a central court area come the Hall of Records and the Festival Temple of Thutmose III. These are large walled rooms which have an almost bewildering collection of obelisks, colonnades and statues dedicated to the gods. Again some of the wall murals are very detailed and the buildings and statues are impressive constructions for any age but more so for the period they were build in.

Beyond these two main sites are a number of other small shrines and temples which are on a less impressive scale but are a little more secluded and allow you to wander having a look at some more of the incredible buildings. Overall I spent half a day wandering around the complex and would recommend at least that long to see it fully. This is a site with a lot of detail to it and so aside from the big features if you have an interest in the drawings and carvings then it is a feast.

As with almost all sites in Egypt the downside tends to be the mass of tourists coming to see the same thing as yourself. It is unlikely regardless of time of year or of day that any visitor will be able to walk around in peace without listening to the ramblings of other tourists. Also as with many sites there are always a few who are completely disrespectful of the site or of Egyptian culture in general. On top of this there are quite a few touts and hawkers trying to sell their services as guides or souvenirs. Egypt is a baksheesh (bribe or tip depending on context) economy and it is expected and given more often than in western countries, however, it can reach extremes-I've had experiences where I'm looking at something and someone will come up behind me and say something like, 'Look, a bird carving! Baksheesh?'. These irritations are just an unavoidable part of travel and sightseeing in the country.

My two main tips for visiting the temple complex would be to try and avoid the heat of the day, particularly if you are daft enough to go in summer like me and to buy one of the detailed guides that are on offer. Without these all the parts of the complex can blend into one another and you don't get the full story behind each part-such as the pillars from all different time periods and the temples can be similar. A guide really can help put this in context and is more than a few lines of the history of the place.

Practical Stuff:
Admission: E£35 (around £1-E£10)
Opening hours: May to September 6am to 8pm, October to April 6am to 9pm
Location: 2.5km north of Luxor on the main road along the East bank of the Nile. Taxis should cost around E£10.

 

...less