Great Hypostyle Hall

Dedicated to Amun-Re, the highest deity in the Egyptian pantheon, Karnak was once the most opulent religious sanctuary in Thebes, the imperial capital of Egypt (now Luxor).

The Great Hypostyle Hall of the Temple of Karnak is an outstanding example of ancient Egyptian art and architecture, displaying the lasting legacy of succeeding pharaohs through its inscriptions and reliefs.

[6] The Hall's walls and columns are covered with beautiful bas-reliefs depicting religious events, military conquests, and royal exploits, which serve as a visual record of Egypt's rich history.

These elaborate sculptures not only represent the shifting creative styles and beliefs of previous reigns, but also demonstrate the temple's lengthy history as a center of religious and political authority [3].

All of the reliefs in the Hall's southern wing and the twelve large columns in the central nave were sculpted for Ramses II.

In 1899, eleven of the massive columns of the Great Hypostyle Hall collapsed in a chain reaction, because their foundations were undermined by ground water.

[3] Successive pharaohs, Roman emperors, high priests, and even common Egyptians added to the temple's extensive collection of sculptures over the ages, altering its architecture, performing repairs, and leaving behind religious graffiti.

[2] In an attempt to fit in with the Hall and its famous designers, succeeding monarchs like Pharaoh Ramesses IV [5] (r. 1151–1145) and the High Priest of Amun Herihor (r. 1080–1072) decorated previously empty areas or even covered up old inscriptions on the columns.

In 1899, eleven of the massive columns of the Great Hypostyle Hall collapsed in a chain reaction, because their foundations were undermined by ground water.