Karnak - Great Temple of Amun - Great Hypostyle Hall

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aisle, 80ft/24m high, rested on the two central rows of columns and on one of the lower rows on each side, the difference in height being made good by square pillars on top of the lower columns. Between these pillars were windows with stone lattice work (one of which, on the south side, is almost perfectly preserved). The lateral aisles are 33ft/10m lower than the central ones.

The columns are built up from semi-drums 3.5ft/1.10m high and 6.5ft/2m in diameter, of reddish-brown sandstone. The 12 taller columns in the two central rows have a diameter of 11.5ft/3.57m and a girth of more than 33ft/10m - roughly the same as Traian's Column in Rome and the Vend6me Column in Paris. The height of the columns is 69ft/21m, of the capitals 11ft/3.34m. The 122 columns of the lateral aisles have a height of 43ft/13m and a girth of 27.5ft/8.40m.

In the side walls of the hypostyle hall are doorways leading out of the temple. At the northwest corner a door leads into a corridor, at the end of which is a staircase mounting to the roof of the north tower of the Second Pylon. At the northeast corner a door gives access to a staircase which leads to the roof of the hypostyle hall. From another staircase to the left of the south doorway there is a fine general view of the hypostyle hall. Beside the southeast doorway is a staircase mounting to the roof of the Third Pylon.

To the right of the main entrance to the hypostyle hall is the frame, rather in the shape of a door, which once contained a memorial stela of Ramesses II. In front of it is an alabaster slab with a relief of prostrate enemies, and to the left of the door a colossal double statue of Amun and Ramesses II.

The walls of the hall, the shafts of the columns, the abaci and the architraves and covered with inscriptions and reliefs of kings making offerings, many of which have preserved their original coloring. Those in the northern half of the hall (as far as the tenth row of columns), which date from the reign of Sethos I, are in delicate low relief; those in the southern half, dating from the reign of Ramesses II, are in cruder sunk relief. Only one column, the first in the sixth row, bears the name of Ramesses I; later Ramesses III, IV, VI and XII also recorded their names.

Among the fine reliefs of Sethos I's reign the most notable are those on the north wall. To the left of the north side door, below: Sethos in front of the sanctuary, in which is the sacred barque of Amun; Sethos conducted into the temple by the falcon headed Month and Atum; procession of the sacred barque; above, Sethos in presence of the gods of Thebes. To the right of the door, below: Sethos offering incense before the sacred barque, conducted into the temple, kneeling in the chapel before Amun and Khons and receiving the symbols of a long reign; above, Sethos making offerings to Amun in various forms; Sethos kneeling before the god Harakhty, who is seated under a canopy, and behind him the lion-headed goddess Werthekaw with a palm branch from which hang various symbols; to the left, the King kneeling under the sacred tree of Heliopolis, with Thoth inscribing his name on the leaves. Among the mural reliefs of Ramesses II, probably connected with his visit to Thebes in the first year of his reign, those to the right and left of the south side door are of particular interest. To the right, Ramesses burning incense in front of the sacred barque of Amun, which is borne by priests (those in front with falcon masks, those to the rear with jackal masks); Ramesses beside the barque clad in a panther skin as a priest; behind, the barques of Khons and Mut, borne by priests. To the left, below, the King in front of the chapels containing the sacred barques of Amun, Mut and Khons; farther left, the King kneeling before Amun, Mut and Khons under the sacred tree of Heliopolis and receiving the symbols of a long reign, while Thoth inscribes his name on the leaves. In the south aisle are two fine sandstone statues of Sethos (headless).