Temple of Amenhotep, son of Hapu. Reconstructed section


Temple of Amenhotep, son of Hapu. Reconstructed plan

durability is conditioned by the strictly defined historical situation. The layout of
the axis of the temple stresses the basic dogma of the cult.
In the absence of knowledge of the classical canon of an Egyptian temple, it is
impossible to orientate oneself through Karnak and to grasp the full meaning
of the site. The powerful complex of ruined sacred edifices, erected mainly during
the New Kingdom, presents so many conundrums already in its geographical
layout, that only by comprehending the basic architectural concepts and the ideology
connected with them, may we in the twentieth century come nearer to an elucidation
of the nature of the historical values of the monument. But let us now return to
the history of Karnak.
THE AMARNA EPISODE IN KARNAK
Before moving his court to Amarna, Amenhotep IV erected a separate sacred
enclosure to the east of the temple complex of Amun. After his death, this was
completely destroyed, but today, as a result of excavations, we know its site and
several of the monuments which adorned the enclosure. The most important are
17 the giant statues of the king leaning on columns, which form a kind of peristyle.