Karnak
Pillars of the Great Hypostyle Hall from the Precinct of Amun-Re
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 Shown within Egypt
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| Location | El-Karnak, Luxor Governorate, Egypt |
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| Region | Upper Egypt |
| Coordinates | 25°43′7″N 32°39′31″E / 25.71861°N 32.65861°ECoordinates: 25°43′7″N 32°39′31″E / 25.71861°N 32.65861°E |
| Type | Sanctuary |
| Part of | Thebes |
| History | |
| Builder | Senusret I |
| Periods | Middle Kingdom to Ptolemaic Kingdom |
| Official name | Ancient Thebes with its Necropolis |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | i, iii, vi |
| Designated | 1979 (3rd session) |
| Reference no. | 87 |
| Region | Arab States |
The Karnak Temple Complex, commonly known as Karnak (/ˈkɑːr.næk/), comprises a vast mix of decayed temples, chapels, pylons, and other buildings. Building at the complex began during the reign of Senusret I in the Middle Kingdom and continued into the Ptolemaic period, although most of the extant buildings date from the New Kingdom. The area around Karnak was the ancient Egyptian Ipet-isut ("The Most Selected of Places") and the main place of worship of the eighteenth dynasty Theban Triad with the god Amun as its head. It is part of the monumental city of Thebes. The Karnak complex gives its name to the nearby, and partly surrounded, modern village of El-Karnak, 2.5 kilometres (1.6 miles) north of Luxor.
The complex is a vast open-air museum, and the second largest ancient religious site in the world, after the Angkor Wat Temple of Cambodia. It is believed to be the second most visited historical site in Egypt; only the Giza Pyramids near Cairo receive more visits. It consists of four main parts, of which only the largest is currently open to the general public. The term Karnak often is understood as being the Precinct of Amun-Ra only, because this is the only part most visitors see. The three other parts, the Precinct of Mut, the Precinct of Montu, and the dismantled Temple of Amenhotep IV, are closed to the public. There also are a few smaller temples and sanctuaries connecting the Precinct of Mut, the Precinct of Amun-Re, and the Luxor Temple.
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