Akhet - The Horizon

The Ipet-Isut temple;

Channel, Basin and Avenue of Sphinxes
The temple of Amun at Karnak, was in the ancient days connected to the Nile by a channel emanating in a square basin, both built by Ramesses II, which served as a landing spot for the sacred barques on which the statues of deities were transported out on the river on festival days. This basin attached to an avenue of Sphinxes, which also were ercetd by Ramess II and later usurped by Psusennes. The eeach have a statue of Ramesses II between their paws. The avenue led to the First Pylons, which is thgought to be buildt by built by Nectanebo I but there is no absolute certainy. All in all there are ten pylons, five of them in a straight line from the first one, and five of them at a 90 degree axis leading towards the Precinct of Mut. The oldest parts are to be found further along the main axis. It is not all included on the image above and it will take up far too much space here to go into a close inspection of this enormous site but here are a few of the main traits:

First Pylon
Going through the First Pylon (1), you enter a courtyard where to the left is a triple bark shrine from the time of Seti I, with niches for the bargues of Mut, Amun and Khonsu. To the center of the court are the remains of a kiosk of Taharqa, only one giant papyrus column and a large altar block. Originally there were ten of these columns. To the right is a small temple to Ramesses III (27), complete with a small courtyard lined with Osiride statues of the king, a portico, a small hypostyle hall and dark niches for the bargues of the Karnak Triad. Opposite this, to the left of the courtyard is a portal which leads to an 'Open Air Museum' with among others displays the Barque shrine of Senwosret I and the red quartzite 'Chapelle Rouge', both reconstructed from blocks found within the temple precinct.

The First Courtyard:

The Barque Chapel of Seti II
As you pass through the First Pylons, you see immediately to the left, the Barque Shrine of Seti II. It was built of quartzite and sandstone. It must have looked great, bult of white sandstone blocks from the south and red quartzite from the north. There are three deep chambers for the bargues of Mut, Amun and Khonsu. These small rooms have at their back niches; two in the chamber of Mut, three in the chamber of Amun and in the chamber of Khonus there are two on the rear wall and three more on the east wall. In the ancient days, it is thought, these niches had statues of deities placed in them.

The Kiosk of Taharqa at the center of the First Courtyard, is mostly in ruins today. Once here was ten, tall and slim columns built together with a low screening wall and open at yhe eastern and western ends. Now there is only one column standing and a block of alabaster, which might have been an altar of some kind. If there was a roof is subject to various theories.

The Barque Chapel of Ramesses III
On the south side of the First Court, there is a barque Shrine built by Ramesses III, as a copy of his mortuary temple at Medinet Habu. In its first court are statues of Ramesses and there are texts and festival scenes on the walls.

The Second Pylon (2)
was begun in the time of Horemheb but not completed until Seti I. In front of it is a tall statue of Ramesses II with a diminutive figure of the princess Bint-Anath reaching hardly up to his knees.