KARNAK, kiir'nhk. A village of Egypt, on the east bank of the Nile, in about latitude 25° 50' N. It is situated on the site of ancient Thebes, and close to it lie the ruins of a group of temples which, with their walled in closures and the avenues of sphinxes connecting them, extend over a space of nearly a mile. The most important of thcse temples, that of the god Ammon of Thebes, was founded in the early part of the Twelfth Dynasty, probably upon the site of an older structure. After the expulsion of the Hyksos (q.v.). when Thebes became the capital of Egypt, Ammon became the chief god of the land, and his ancient temple acquired the dignity of a great national sanctuary. The Pharaohs of the Eighteenth and Nineteenth dynasties lavished vast wealth upon it, enlarging it. and adorning it with sculptures and paintings. Under Rameses H. it was practically completed', though additions were made to it by many subsequent monarchs down to the time of the Ptolemies. It stood with in a walled inelosure, measuring about 1500 feet in either direction, which also contained several smaller temples and a sacred lake. An avenue of ram-headed sphinxes led from a landing-place on the river-bank to the main entrance, a buge pylon (370 feet in breadth, and 142 feet in height) built in the time of the Ptolemies. A gateway between the massive towers of this pylon gives access to the great court, which measures 276 feet in length and 33S feet in breadth. With in the court, colonnades run along the walls on either side, and in the centre, in a line with the entrance, stood twelve colossal columns arranged in two rows. Six of these colunms are still in a good state of preservation. In the left-hand corner of the court, near the entrance, are the ruins of a. small temple built by Seti IL, while to the right a temple built by Rameses III. pierces the wall of the court near its upper end, and extends for some distance outside. A second pylon gate, the work of Rameses I., forms the en trance from the court into the great hypostyle hall, built by Seti I. and his son, Rameses (For illustration, see ARCHITECTURE.) This great ball, one of the grandest works of Egyptian archi tecture. is 171 feet in length by 333 feet in breadth, and its roof was supported by 134 col umns arranged in sixteen rows, the two central rows being considerably higher than the rest. The roof of the nave or central portion of the ball was supported by the two central rows of columns and by square pillars resting upon the adjoining rows of columns on either side, the spaces between the square pillars being left open for the admission of light and air. The height of the nave from floor to roof was about 78 feet, while that of the lateral portions measured some 46 feet. Both columns and walls are richly dec orated with reliefs and inscriptions, many of which still retain the brilliant colors with which they were painted. The reliefs on the outer sur face of the walls represent the victories of Seti and Rameses 11. in their Syrian and Libyan campaigns. Of special interest are the repre
sentations of the siege of Kadesh on the Orontes by Ramcses II., and the inscriptions containing the treaty of peace concluded by the same mon arch with the Hittites, and the so-called Epic of Pentaur celebrating the prowess of the King at the battle of Kadesh. The text of the former in scription, with a translation and commentary, was published by Prof. W. M. :Muller. in Mit theilungcn der l'orderasiatischen. Gesellschaft (vol. Nil.. part 5. Berlin. 1902). From the upper end of the hypostyle hall a. pylon gate, built by Amenophis Ill, and now in ruins, leads to an open court. in the centre of which is an obelisk (76 feet high) erected by Tbothmes I. Near it lie the fragments of a companion obelisk erected to the same monarch. Beyond the obelisks are the ruins of a pylon erected by Thothmes I., and beyond this the remains of a court adorned with columns and with colossal statues of Osiris. In the centre of this court are two great obelisks erected by Queen Hatasu. One of them has fallen; the other, which still stands erect, meas ures feet in height, and is the tallest Egyp tian obelisk in existence. (See OBELISK.) From this court a pylon gate. built by Thothmes T., gives entrance to a similar court, and thence an other pylon. the work of Tbothmes III., leads to a vestibule opening into the sanctuary, which is adorned with reliefs representing religious sub jects, and is surrounded by a number of small chambers. To the rear of the sanctuary are the scanty remains of the oldest portion of the building, the temple of the Twelfth Dynasty. Far ther back are the hypostyle ball of Thothmes Ill. and a number of smaller halls, corridors, and ehambers. From the central court containing the obelisks of Thothmes I., a succession of courts and pylon gates leads to an entrance in the southern side of the great temple inclosure, and thence an avenue of sphinxes leads to the ruined temple of the goddess Mut and the sacred lake behind it. In the southwestern corner of the great inelosure is the temple of the Theban moon god Chons (q.v.). built by Rameses III., and em bellished by several of his successors. A fine pylon (60 feet high) forms the entrance, and from it an avenue of sphinxes ran in a southerly direction until it intersected a similar avenue leading from Luxor (q.v.). From the intersec tion another avenue ran eastward until it met the avenue leading from the temple of Amnion to that of his divine consort Mut. To the north of the inclosure surrounding the great temple of Ammon are the ruins of a temple dedicated to the Theban war god Alont (q.v.). Consult: Descrip tion de l'Egypte (Paris, 1809-29) ; Eepsius, Denk wider ( Berlin, 1849-58) ; Dlimichen, Gesehichte des alter .4? gyptc es (Berlin, 1678) ; Naspi-ro, Arel'ologie t.'yyptienne (Paris. 1887) ; Wilkin son, Topography of Thebes (London, 1835) ; Mariette, Karnak (Leipzig, 1875) ; Baedeker, A cgyptce (4th ed., Leipzig, 1897). See, also, THEBES.