Village, Upper Egypt. Its name has been given to the northern part of the ruins of Thebes on the Nile River's eastern bank (the southern part is called Luxor). Among its many religious buildings stood the largest of all Egyptian temples, the Temple of Amon. Itself a complex of temples, added to and altered many times, it reflects the fluctuating fortunes of the Egyptian empire.
There are no fewer than 10 pylons, separated by courts and halls. The most striking feature is the vast hypostyle hall commissioned by Ramses I (r. 1292–90 &BC;), with an area of some 54,000 sq ft (5,000 sq m). Twelve enormous columns, some 80 ft (24 m) high, raised the roofing slabs of the central aisle to produce a clerestory. Karnak is part of a UNESCO World Heritage site (designated 1979) centred on Thebes.
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