The Stone Columns of Karnak
Built by successive pharaohs over a period of 2000 years, Karnak was the largest sanctuary of religious monuments in ancient Egypt. Karnak was located in Thebes, the imperial capital of ancient Egypt which is known todas as Luxor. Thebes was the home of the king of the Egyptian Pantheon - Amun-Re, and the famous columns of Karnak were and are still the highlight of the city. The famous columns are found in the Hypostyle Hall in the Precinct of Amun-Re which covers an area of 50,000 sq ft with 16 rows of 134 massive columns. 122 of these columns are 10 meters high, while 12 of them are 21 meters high, the hall was built by Seti.
These columns have architraves that weigh about 70 tons, till today no one is quite sure how this ancient civilization managed to lift massive weights to such heights. You can explore the southern wing which was built by Ramesses II, take a close look at a record of the peace treaty he signed with the Hittites during his reign. Other pharaohs like Ramesses III, Ramesses IV and Ramesses VI later added their own inscriptions to the columns and the walls, there’s even one of these magnificent pillars that is unfinished.
