Great Hypostyle Hall

Great Hypostyle Hall

The Great Hypostyle Hall in Karnak one of the most visited monuments in Egypt 19th Dynasty 1290-1224 BC dedicated to the supreme god Amun-Re but was built by Seti I who carved the inscription on the north wing of the hall The decoration of the south wing was completed by Ramses II The self-made Atum emerged from the waters of Nun at the beginning of its construction Originally founded by Hatshepsut in the northwestern temple of Amun on the upper terrace of Deir el-Bahri the name refers to its architectural style It covers an area of 5,000 square meters

The most magnificent religious sanctuary in Thebes the capital of the Egyptian Empire It is supported by 134 columns in 16 rows the two central rows being higher than the others and reaching a height of 24 meters The mudbrick building was filled with earth silt and loose sand The hall was probably built using the most readily available and convenient materials There are remains of the embankment from the Hypostyle Hall traces of another ramp used to build the southern tower of the first pillar 

The Great Hypostyle Hall of Karnak

The foundations the mud-brick ramps extended from the north and south sides of the hall after the top layer of soil was filled in the first floor Egyptian symbols are the main features of Seti I's bas-relief sculptures Seti I's craftsmen produced exquisite bas-relief sculptures for the arches of the columns walls and the roof of the interior clerestory of the finest quality. Inside the great Hypostyle Hall the carved walls are not raised and mostly show the period of Ramses II and his father Seti I The decorations mostly depict religious rituals and military victories of the Pharaohs The exquisite bas-reliefs are of a high evolution. The great Hypostyle Hall of the Karnak Temple is an outstanding example of ancient Egyptian art and architecture It records the long history of Egypt showing the long legacy of the Pharaohs through inscriptions and bas-reliefs that changed during the reigns of the earlier kings The magnificent carvings in the temples over the centuries

Seti I Ramses I and Ramses IV The military conquests of the pharaohs The distinctive style of the temple's construction The walls and columns of the temple are decorated with beautiful reliefs depicting religious and cultural events as seen in the reliefs at the southern entrance carved early in his reign Although Seti I inscribed the Abashi script the door beams and windows above the large columns it is strange that he never carved scenes on the rows and columns All the reliefs in the southern wing of the hall and the twelve large columns in the central hall were dedicated to Ramses II They are decorated with reliefs in three stages after his accession the north-south axis and the central hall. The processional path is a linear pattern that descends first as can be seen in the reliefs at the southern entrance which are carved