One of the most majestic and striking structures of Ancient Egypt that has survived to this day is the famous Karnak Temple. This temple, located on the right bank of the Nile, was built in honour of the Theban triad - Amon-Ra, his wife Mut and their son Khonsu. The decoration of the majestic temple was carried out by the famous architect of Ancient Egypt - Inenni.
Karnak temple was erected for two millennia. This shrine was built and expanded by whole dynasties of pharaohs. Each of the pharaohs tried to remake the temple for himself, giving it even more splendour and wealth to surpass the previous ruler.
The Karnak Temple is a gigantic temple complex consisting of 33 temples and halls that resemble a city more than a separate building. The total area of the Karnak Temple is over 2 square kilometres, the main hall with its colonnade is equal in size to St Peter's Cathedral in Vatican City and St Paul's Cathedral in London.
The most interesting temple is the huge Temple of Amon-Ra. This large structure was begun by Pharaoh Amenhotep III, who placed the 12 columns of the main nave 23 metres high. The construction was continued by subsequent pharaohs, among them Pharaoh Seti I and Ramses II. One of the main attractions of the Karnak Temple of Amon is the amazing hypostyle hall, with dimensions of 52 metres deep and 103 metres wide. There are 144 columns in the hall, entirely painted with coloured bas-reliefs.
Today, the Karnak Temple is the world's largest religious complex, the main state sanctuary of ancient Egypt, the country's main historical monument and the second most visited attraction after the famous pyramids of Giza.
