Karnak, Temple of, was built in honor of the Egyptian god Amun-Re (see Amun ). It was ancient Egypt’s largest temple. It had more than 130 columns, some of which rose about 70 feet (21 meters). Brilliantly colored paintings decorated the columns and walls in the temple’s Great Hall. The Great Hall ranks as the largest columned hall ever built. Statues of sphinxes lined avenues leading to the Temple of Karnak. Various Egyptian kings, including Thutmose III (reigned c. 1479-1425 B.C.), helped to enlarge the temple.
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The walls of the temple bear hieroglyphic records of Thutmose III’s wars and long lists of captured cities in Asia and Africa. They also have pictures of plants and animals collected on Thutmose’s campaigns. Thutmose built granite obelisks (giant stone pillars) in Karnak and Heliopolis.
Seti I (reigned c. 1290-1279 B.C.) began the decoration of the walls of the Great Hypostyle Hall (hall of columns) at Karnak. His son Ramses II (reigned c. 1279-1213 B.C.) completed the decoration of the hall.
See also Megiddo, Battle of .
