Temple of Amun, Jebel Barkal
Southwest view of Amun Temple at Jebel Barkal
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| Location | Karima, Northern State, Sudan |
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| Region | Nubia |
| Coordinates | 18°32′7″N 31°49′50″E / 18.53528°N 31.83056°ECoordinates: 18°32′7″N 31°49′50″E / 18.53528°N 31.83056°E |
| Type | Sanctuary |
| Part of | Jebel Barkal |
| History | |
| Builder | Probably Thutmose III |
| Founded | 13th century BC |
| Official name | Gebel Barkal and the Sites of the Napatan Region |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | i, ii, iii, iv, vi |
| Designated | 2003 (27th session) |
| Reference no. | 1073 |
| Region | Arab States |
The Temple of Amun is an archaeological site at Jebel Barkal in Northern State, Sudan. It is situated about 400 kilometres (250 mi) north of Khartoum near Karima. The temple stands near a large bend of the Nile River, in the region that was called Nubia in ancient times. The Temple of Amun, one of the larger temples at Jebel Barkal, is considered sacred to the local population. Not only was the Amun temple a main centre of what at one time was considered to be an almost universal religion, but, along with the other archaeological sites at Jebel Barkal, it was representative of the revival of Egyptian religious values. Up to the middle of the 19th century, the temple was subjected to vandalism, destruction, and indiscriminate plundering, before it came under state protection.
Construction of the temple occurred in the 13th century BC. The temple's foundation probably occurred during the reign of Thutmose III, while the temple was shaped during his reign and that of Ramses II. Especially at the time of the Napatan empire, the temple was of great importance for the Kushite kingdom. The Nubian king Piye and subsequent Nubian pharaohs expanded Barkal's Amun temple complex, creating a southern rival to the northern Amun temple at Thebes. Although early Meroe rulers had their own capital, government officials took a coronation journey to the Amun Temple of Jebel Barkal. Here, the king went into the Holy of Holies, where he was confirmed as king by a divine oracle. In the years 25/24 BC, the Romans invaded Nubia during a campaign against the Kushites led by Gaius Petronius. He destroyed the temple and took Jebel Barkal from one of the Kandakes; however, the Romans were unable to make permanent gains and withdrew after razing Napata to the ground. The last large-scale construction works were by the Kushite king Natakamani, who restored some of the Roman destruction, enlarged the temple complex, and renovated the first pylon and other parts of the temple.
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