Temple of Khonsu

The Temple of Khonsu at Karnak Upper Egypt is within the temple precincts of the temple of Amun situated, the Egyptian moon god Khonsu temple dedicated. He was Rameses III. built and is relatively well preserved until today.

History

Presumably there was a erbauter already in the 18th Dynasty predecessors temple, from which, however, has received nothing at this point. Only one place in the Papyrus Harris may refer to this first building.

In ancient Egyptian mythology, son Khonsu the fertility god Amun and the goddess Mut, which at the time of Ramses III. have been revered in vast temple complexes. As a building site on the southwest corner of the temple area was chosen so that the Khonsu Temple was exactly in line with the procession axis 2.5 km from the Luxor Temple, which was designed as a avenue of sphinxes, as well as the further east and almost parallel connection between Amun and the Temple of Mut at Karnak.

In the Hellenistic period Ptolemy III had. most of Nectanebo I built gate build two monumental pylons that form, named after his surname Euergetes Gate. Later the plant was temporarily buried, dug up in recent times but again. However, as a tourist attraction, the temple remained always behind the significant larger systems for Amun and courage.

Construction details

The Khonsu temple itself has a total extension of approximately 80 meters in length (measured including the two mighty pylons, but these were later added ) and a width of approximately 30 meters, with the orientation of the direction SSW - North follows. Heart of the system is the so-called Hall of the bark, which is east and west each surrounded by a chapel. To the north, a space follows, which was named after his Greek analogue pronaos. In a side room at the northeast corner of the temple there was a statue of Osiris, on a stretcher lying between Isis and Nephthys. South to the "Hall of bark " is followed by an oriented transversely to the axis palace portico ( hypostyle ) with 8 columns. Prior to that, there is another, even larger colonnaded ( peristyle ), where 28 are arranged in rows of four columns are placed. At the southern end of this court Nectanebo I had built a gate that was located at the intersection of the axis with the palace enclosure of the temple of Karnak.

The Temple of Khonsu from the north

The Euergetes Gate in front of the Khonsu Temple

Of Columns of the Temple of Khonsu

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