The Temples of Karnak

Following on to my earlier post about The Valley of The Kings here is a short description of what you will see and experience when you visit the Temple of Karnak at Luxor on your Nile cruise itinerary..

 The Temples of Karnak

The Temple, or more correctly, The Temples of Karnak lie about 1.5 miles north of Luxor city centre and comprise of up tp 100 acres and consist of the remains of a vast temple complex.

The Temples are situated on the East Bank of the Nile, the opposite bank from where The Valley of The Kings is situated and often your visit will be combined with a visit to Luxor Temple. According to reports and statistics The Temples of Karnak is the most popular visitor attraction in Egypt after the Great Pyramids of Giza, near Cairo.

The temples were built over two millenia by a succession of Pharaohs, the earliest ruling over 4000 years ago.

There is an “Avenue of Sphinxes” that you will see standing guard at the entrance to the sacred enclosure of the Temple of Amun where you will see a giant monumental scarab by the temple’s Sacred Lake. You will also be able to see the Hypostyle Hall that has 134 massive columns.

Your visit to The Temples of Karnak and the Temple of Luxor will normally take you half a day and often your itinerary will include this visit on the Sunday when you return to Luxor having completed your cruise down to Aswan. However itineraries can differ and you should check your personal itinerary.

You can read the other posts in this series here:

The Valley of The Kings

The Temples of Karnak

Kom Ombo Temple

Luxor Temple