Karnak

Karnak is an enormous complex of sanctuaries, obelisks, statues, and pylons. The scale is huge-- over 1 mile by 800 meters. That's big enough to fit 10 cathedrals inside! During the reign of Ramses III over 80,000 workers served on this temple alone. For over 1500 years, Karnak was the most important place of worship in Egypt. To the side of the massive entrance pylons is a very nondescript earthen wall/ramp. They are the remains of the original ramps built to carry the materials to build the temple itself. Because it's been added to by so many pharoahs, it's difficult to describe it succinctly.

Or photograph it. The hippostyle hall, the hall filled with 134 massive pillars, is big enough to contain both St. Peter's (the Vatican) and St. Paul's (London) cathedrals. Back in the day it was covered with a brightly painted roof. The guidebook says "...it is impossible to get an overall idea of this court; there is nothing to do but stand and stare up at the dizzying spectacle." Too true.

This is where the overload of temples, obelisks, monuments, hieroglyphics, and pharoahs reached the tipping point. Honestly, I stopped caring. This was our 4th stop that day (after Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut, and Luxor) and the size and volume of everything just made us feel like we couldn't process any more information. We left the tour guide and decided to just wander and look. Appreciate what we saw for what we saw without trying to learn more history or put it into the proper dynasty. And then, things were more interesting again.

The obelisk of Hatshepsut was interesting, however. It is the largest obelisk in Egypt and was originally buried almost to the top (on the left you can see the line of color difference) in order to hide signs of her reign and preserve the obelisk.

The scarab statue is supposed to bring luck or grant your wish if you walk around it 7 times. Ava wished for a pony (big surprise there). Grandma wished for no more trouble for her ornery hip. I wished we could find a Diet Coke for a decent price at the temple, but since I wasn't walking around it, you can guess how it went!

(and, if you are wondering about any funky spacing, trust me--courtesy of Blogger, not yours truly!)