Carnac - Fragments of Sanctuary and Obelisk

View showing some remains of the temple complex of Karnak, with a local man standing in middle ground, facing half to the left, next to fallen masonry and large debris. The obelisk of Thutmose I (1504-1492 BC) can be seen in the background. This is the surviving obelisk of the pair erected by the pharaoh in front of the fourth pylon. It is the smallest of the two obelisks still standing at the site, the other being one of a pair erected nearby, in front of the fifth pylon, by Hatshepsut (1473-1458 BC), Thutmose I’s daughter. Karnak, near modern Luxor, is a large complex of religious buildings covering an area of over one hundred hectares. It consists of three major sacred precincts dedicated to Amun-Re (the largest of the three), Mut and Montu, but it also includes other structures built both inside and outside the various precincts. It was built and continually extended and embellished by Egyptian rulers from at least the Middle Kingdom (2055-1650 BC) until the Roman period (30 BC-AD 395) but most of its surviving structures date from the second half of the second millenium BC, resulting in Karnak being the largest and best-preserved temple complex of the New Kingdom (1550-1069 BC).