Sixteen photographs of the Great Hypostyle Hall at Karnak, taken between 1851 and 1862, when the hall was still half-buried in sand and decades before its 1899 collapse.
In these views the “Great Hall” and “Hall of Columns” of the old titles stand half-buried, with sand and rubble between the columns and around the walls. Eleven columns of the hall’s northern wing fell on 3 October 1899, and every photograph here was made before that collapse. For the pylons, obelisks and granite sanctuary beyond the hall, see Karnak’s pylons, obelisks and granite sanctuary in old photos; for the sphinx avenue, the Great Court and general views, see Karnak in old photos. To see the hall as it is now, read our Hypostyle Hall guide; for tickets and the route round the precinct, see the Karnak Temple guide.
Five views of the hall as a whole, from Frith’s 1857 series and Teynard’s 1851–52 plates.
Frith’s 1857 view of the outside of Karnak’s Great Hypostyle Hall, showing part of the north-eastern outer wall. Its carvings include a scene of Seti I striking a group of prisoners with his mace. See the rough ground around the walls, which later clearance has changed. The hall lies between the Second and Third Pylons, in the middle of the precinct.
Frith’s “Hall of Columns from the West”, around 1857. Despite the title, Royal Collection Trust says the view is actually from the south-east. The camera looks at the hall from the Third Pylon, which lies in two large heaps of debris in the foreground, and two local men stand where its gateway used to be. See how the dense ranks of columns rise above the rubble.
Frith’s view from the shore of the Sacred Lake, which his title calls the Salt Lake, looking across the water. The Hypostyle Hall stands in the background on the left. On the right are the remains of the Fourth and Fifth Pylons with the obelisks of Hatshepsut and Thutmose I. Observe the hall rising behind the water and the pylons beside it; the Karnak pylons gallery has more views of the lake.
Windows and capitals of the side galleries of the Hypostyle Hall, photographed by Teynard in 1851–52 and printed in 1853–54. Notice how crowded the columns are and how much debris lies between them.
A general view of the Great Hypostyle Hall taken from Point Q on Teynard’s survey plan, dated 1851–52. The British Library catalogue describes it as a view from the 4th pylon, looking north-westwards towards the columns of the hypostyle hall. See how many columns fill the frame. The hall lies between the Second and Third Pylons, at the heart of the temple.
Seven views of the tall central columns and the lower aisles beside them, by Teynard, Frith and Bedford.
The central colonnade of the Hypostyle Hall, photographed in 1851–52. It is the tallest part of the hall: twelve columns about 21 metres high form the main aisle. Note their open papyrus capitals beside the smaller columns. The colonnade runs along the temple’s main axis.
The capitals of the central colonnade, shaped like open papyrus flowers, photographed in 1851–52. The British Library describes it as a “close view of capitals in the hypostyle hall of the Temple of Amun-Ra.” Notice how far each capital spreads beyond the shaft below.
Columns of the Great Hypostyle Hall in Frith’s series, around 1857. Royal Collection Trust describes the view as from the south, with large stones in the foreground that once formed the Third Pylon. Note the surface of the shafts and at the height of the blocks resting above them.
The same columns of the Great Hypostyle Hall seen from the other side, around 1857. Compare it with the previous picture to see how the light and the standing blocks change between the two viewpoints.
The interior of the Hall of Columns, around 1857: a passageway between two rows of columns carved with hieroglyphs, with a leaning column in the background and large blocks of fallen masonry beyond it. A local man holding a stick stands in the foreground. See how little open floor shows between the columns.
Bedford photographed the interior of the Great Hypostyle Hall on 16 March 1862, the date recorded in the catalogue. Notice how closely the columns stand. Royal Collection Trust says the hall was begun by Seti I and completed by Ramesses II; our Hypostyle Hall guide has the fuller account. The eleven columns that fell in 1899 were later rebuilt under Georges Legrain.
The Hall of Columns seen from the side, around 1857, looking along the aisles rather than down the main axis. See how the lower side columns stand against the taller central ones.
Four details: a window, carved walls, small columns and the ruined colonnades behind the hall.
A window and capitals in the side galleries of the Hypostyle Hall, photographed in 1851–52 and printed in 1853–54. See the stone grille; light entered the hall through openings like this. The side galleries lie on either side of the central aisle.
Decoration on an inner wall of the Hypostyle Hall, taken from Point M on Teynard’s plan in 1851–52 and printed in 1853–54. Notice how the relief runs in bands across the stone; the catalogue does not name the scene.
Three of the smaller columns of the Great Hall, in Frith’s series of about 1857. Royal Collection Trust describes the interior of the Hypostyle Hall: three columns carved with hieroglyphs still stand among large sections of fallen masonry from the columns and lintels around them. Note their size beside the great central columns shown elsewhere in this gallery.
Part of a colonnade in the rear portion of the temple, taken from Point S on Teynard’s plan in 1851–52 (print 1853–54). The British Library catalogue describes four standing lotiform columns, with the architrave still in place, in the Festival Hall of Thutmose III at the eastern end of the Temple of Amun-Ra. See how the architrave still spans the columns.
Who and when. Three photographers made the pictures on this page. Félix Teynard worked at Karnak in 1851–52 and published his plates as Égypte et Nubie in about 1858. Eight views are from Francis Frith’s 1857 Nile series. Seven are catalogued by Royal Collection Trust, which holds the prints; the eighth is matched by title and series. Francis Bedford took the single 1862 view on the Prince of Wales’s tour. Together they cover the hall over little more than a decade.
Reading the photographs. Early travellers called the whole complex a “palace”; it is in fact a group of temples, and this hall belongs to the great precinct of Amun. A few old titles end in a letter, such as “Point Q”; that letter marks a spot on Teynard’s survey plan, so the headings name the view instead. For what to look for: the tall central columns end in open papyrus flowers and the lower ones in closed buds, and comparing Teynard’s 1851–52 views with Frith’s of 1857 shows how the debris changes.
Medium, size and old title for each picture appear under the photograph itself. Links go to the holding institution’s record where one is available.