The Temple of Amon (Amun) Ra at Karnak
12th Dynasty to the Ptolemaic Period (Circa 2000 - 220 BC)

Karnak is actually a village in Upper Egypt which has given its name to the northern half of the ruins of the ancient city of Thebes. Since the Middle Kingdom Karnak was the most important sancturary of Amon Ra -- king of the gods. It is located 4 kilometres north of modern day Luxor. The Temples of Karnak make up an enormous complex and evolved over a period of almost 2000 years. The most remarkable feature is the Hypostyle Hall and its towering stone pillars completed in the 13th century BC by Ramses II. The Temple of Karnak and the Temple of Luxor were linked by a stone paved avenue 3 kilometers long and lined with ram-headed sphinxes. Karnak reached its peak as a center for the cult worhip of Amon Ra during the New Kingdom (1550–1070 BC) and forms one of the largest religious complexes known to archaeology ...

The History of the Ancient Near East Electronic Compendium