Broken and sem-broken pillars inside the Karnak temple in Luxor

The Karnak temple is around 35 centuries old, part of the Middle Kingdom in ancient egypt, and was built by a number of pharaohs (each pharaoh added his own touch (or in the case of Hatshepsut, the female pharaoh, she added the Obelisks inside the temple)). However, because of the age of the temple and neglect over the years, a lot of the temple is in some sort of worn down condition.

Small trees and some amount of rubble inside the Karnak temple in Luxor

You can just see a tourist entering the frame of the photo. This is a photo of the Karnak temple in Luxor, near the entrance. There is some restoration work ongoing in the temple, given that the temple has suffered hugely over the years from the wear and tear of the elements, along with neglect. It is only for the past several decades that there has been a lot more emphasis given on the restoration of the temple; important because of the huge heritage value and the number of tourists it draws.

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Pillars in a row inside the Hypostyle Hall in the Karnak Temple

The Hypostyle Hall is one of the most magnificent parts of the Karnak temple (which in itself is a most wonderful monument, testimony to the construction efforts of pharaohs over the years). The Hypostyle Hall was built to cover an area of approximately 50,000 square feet, and even though the roof has almost totally fallen down, the place is indeed remarkable.
There are a total of 134 pillars, assigned in rows. In this photo, you can see many of the pillars, some of them having suffered wear and tear and damage from the elements over the years.

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Tourists at the entrance to the Karnak temple in Luxor

A large number of tourists at the entrance to the Karnak temple. The Karnak temple is a pretty large temple, with a lot of walking required by tourists; in fact, even when walking from the parking to the entrance, it can be quite a distance. You need to be sure that you are in a good condition to spend the energy required to wander through the temples (and this is even more so if you have visited the other tourist destinations in Luxor).

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Pillars, close to each other, inside the Hypostyle Hall in the Karnak temple

There are a large number of pillars inside the Hypostyle Hall in the Karnak temple, and when I saw them so close to each other, I was wondering as to how this hall could be used for any kind of event; but the photo is a bit misleading. In the center path between the pillars, there is a fair amount of space between the pillars, enough for people of the royal court to assemble (it was not expected to be a place for the common citizen of ancient Egypt).

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Path between rows of pillars in the Hypostyle Hall, leading to a set of trees

The Karnak temple in Luxor is one of the most magnificent structures in the ancient city of Luxor, which is based on the ancient city of Thebes, the center of the New Kingdom for many centuries, and the religious center of the country.
The Karnak temple was constructed over a period of time in the rule of many pharaohs, and one of the most spectacular constructions inside the temple is the Hypostyle Hall, a place that has a total of 134 huge pillars, covered with carvings, that glorify the various pharaohs of the time.

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2 rows of carved pillars inside the Hypostyle Hall in the Karnak temple

The Hypostyle Hall inside the Karnak temple (in Luxor) has a large number of pillars with carvings. There are a total of 134 such pillars, which were part of the huge hall that covered a total area of 50,000 square feet. You have to go there to actually get a feel of the size of the hall. Here, you can see pillars aligned in 2 rows.

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Tourists at the base of pillars inside the Hypostyle Hall in the Karnak temple

In many previous photos, I can talked about the huge size of the pillars inside the Hypostyle Hall (a total of 134 pillars). It is always good to show people against such structures, since that gives clarity about the size of the pillars, as can be seen in this photo where you can see tourists at the base of the pillars and hence get an idea of the size.
The pillars are really huge.

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Palm trees visible through the doorway inside the Hypostyle Hall in the Karnak temple

The whole complex of the Karnak temple is a huge complex, made of stone, made by various pharaohs over a period of many years, around 35 centuries back. Inside the temple, there is a huge hall called the Hypostyle Hall, where there are a set of 134 pillars (huge pillars), with the hall covering a total area of 50,000 square feet. Most of the roof has fallen, but the pillars are now in a good condition after decades of restoration and maintenance.
In this photo, you are able to see some palm trees (and not too many trees can be seen inside the complex).

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Broken carvings on the pillar of the Hypostyle Hall in the Karnak temple

The Karnak temple in Luxor is very old, having been constructed by several pharaohs over a period of time (when Luxor, in its earlier form being the ancient Egyptian city of Thebes was the center of Egypt during the time of the New Kingdom). The Karnak temple is believed to be around 35 centuries old. Inside the Karnak temple, the Hypostyle Hall is one of the greatest creations from that time, covering a vast area of 50,000 square feet.
In this photo, you can see how the carvings on the pillar have become damaged over the vast period of time.

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Detailed view of paintings on the undeside of architrave in the Hypostyle Hall

In the previous photo, I had shown a view of the underside of the architrave on 2 of the pillars of the Hypostyle Hall. However, the painting on the underside was not so clear since it was taken without much zoom; in this photo, I took the camera lens to maximum zoom and focused on the painting on the underside of the structure.
The painting in this photo was inverted, but you can get a view of the painting very clearly, the painting is pretty clear. The depiction of the Hieroglyphs is very clear (although I cannot understand anything, not knowing how to read this ancient symbol based language). It felt so different, standing there and watching this ancient work put by the Egyptians from a different era.

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Painting under the architrave in the Hypostyle Hall in the Karnak temple

The Hypostyle Hall inside the Karnak temple in Luxor is a magnificent place. Imagine a giant hall, covering an area of 50,000 square feet with large pillars (and a total of 134 such pillars, each pillar covered with a lot of carvings). Now imagine that this was built around 35 centuries back, and you will be left with a sense of wonder.
The architraves covering the pillars have mostly fallen down, except for a few cases such as this one, where the architrave remains in place (or was put back during the restoration process). You can even see the paintings on the underside of the structure (and these were visible very clearly).

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Exhibit of the restoration of the Hypostyle Hall in the Karnak temple

The Hypostyle Hall is one of the most magnificent parts of the Karnak temple, an incredible temple in the city of Luxor built around 35 centuries back. There was a whole process of restoration that sought to bring back the old glory of those structures, even though this is a very difficult task. This is a sign of the exhibit that explains what the Hypostyle Hall is, and what efforts were undertaken to do a restoration of the structure.
As per the exhibit, the Hypostyle Hall measures 103 meters by 53 meters. As recently as 1899, a dozen columns in the Hypostyle Hall toppled over and a massive reconstruction work was started.

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Close up of paintings on the lower portion of the architrave inside the Hypostyle Hall

There are not too many architraves on top of the pillars of the Hypostyle Hall, with most of the pillars being uncovered. I tried to get more details of the underside of one such architrave, and you can see signs of the painting that was there below the architrave; in addition to the carvings on the side of a pillar.

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A number of pillars inside the Hypostyle Hall in the Karnak temple

A large number of pillars inside the Hypostyle Hall in the Karnak temple. In previous photos, you can see many images of the pillars inside the Hypostyle Hall, but not too many pillars. In this photo, you see a large number of pillars (although most of the photos are not very big) in the frame, with a view of the carvings on the pillars of the Hall. The architrave on top of the pillars look a bit awkward though.

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Pillar inside the Hypostyle Hall with the architrave on top of the pillars

A view of the top section of an individual pillar inside the Hypostyle Hall in the Karnak temple. There are a total of 134 pillars inside the temple, with the middle 2 rows having pillars of slightly increased height as opposed to the pillars in other rows.
You can see a number of carvings on the pillar, along with architrave on either side of the pillar, but there are very few pillars that actually have architraves, with most of them having fallen down.

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Many pillars of the Hypostyle Hall in the Karnak temple covered by architrave at the top

When you see most of the structures belonging to ancient Egypt, a large number of these structures are in some state of ruin, with the typical example being that the roof has fallen down in many of these. Even when you go to the Karnak temple, you can see the temple in various states of ruin; even in this photo of the Hypostyle Hall, you can see the roof has fallen down - there are just some architrave on top of the pillars inside the Hypostyle Hall.

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Small gap between the pillars of the Hypostyle Hall inside the Karnak temple

In some places inside the Hypostyle Hall in the Karnak temple, there are large spaces, enough for people to easily gather. However, near the edge of the hall, the space between the pillars is much reduced, as in this photo, where it would seem difficult for people to congregate in the space between the pillars at the floor level.

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Detailed carvings on a pillar inside the Hypostyle Hall in the Karnak temple

I was very impressed by the Karnak temple in Luxor. When you visit Egypt, you think of the Pyramids and the Great Sphinx, or you think of King Tutankhamen, but few people think of the Karnak temple. The temple is a huge structure, having been built by many pharaohs over a period of time, and containing the Hypostyle Hall, a huge structure covering an area of 50,000 square feet with 134 pillars.
I was looking at the carvings on a pillar inside the Hypostyle Hall, with the background coming in dark because of using the flash. Use of the flash took a meter reading from the carving and anything that was slightly darker became black.

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Carving on the pylon of the Karnak temple with some tents at the bottom

A large carving on the pylon of the Karnak temple in Luxor. These are huge gates with large surfaces, and a large scale carving on the surface of the pylon, typically showing the pharaoh in some sort of action.
At the bottom of the carving, there are these tents (with a color similar to the surface of the wall), part of the restoration work ongoing at the temple.

Architrave on top of the pillars of the Hypostyle Hall of the Karnak temple

A lot of the structure of the Karnak temple in Luxor is in ruins, or atleast has suffered for the over 35 centuries of wear and tear. The Hypostyle Hall, which covers an area of approximately 50,000 square feet is a magnificent structure, but the roof has mostly fallen down. In some sections, the architraves on top of the pillars still remain, and looks pretty well. You can even see some carvings and paintings on the bottom of the architrave, which is pretty remarkable.

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Shadows on pillar carvings inside the Hypostyle Hall in the Karnak temple in Luxor

The Hypostyle Hall inside the Karnak temple in the Egyptian city of Luxor is one of the most interesting parts of the temple. The temple itself is an incredible structure, a huge temple constructed 35 centuries back, with multiple pharaohs adding their touches to the temple over a period of centuries.
Inside the Karnak temple, the Hypostyle Hall is a huge structure, with 134 large pillars arranged in multiple rows, and each of these pillars is huge. The Hypostyle Hall covered a large area, with a total coverage of approximately 50,000 square meters.

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Gap between pillars inside the Hypostyle Hall in the Karnak temple in Luxor

The Hypostyle Hall inside the Karnak temple in Luxor is an incredible piece of architecture, constructed approximately 35 centuries temple. The temple was constructed over a period of time by multiple pharaohs, with even hall having the imprint of many pharaohs.
The Hall had 134 pillars, with the 2 central row of pillars being taller than the rest of the pillars. When you look at the pillars, you can see how huge they actually are, and if there was a human in the photo, you would get a true measure of the size of the pillars.

Damaged carvings on the pillars inside the Hypostyle Hall in the Karnak temple

The Karnak temple is 35 centuries old, which is a huge timeline to cover, especially when the temple is exposed to the elements over the years, and to looters and others (especially people who had no concern for the conservation of the historical monuments); and when you see some of the better sections, you can forget the huge amount of time that has passed. But there has been a lot of damage over the years, as you can see in the erosion of the carvings on the pillars of the Hypostyle Hall as seen in this photo.
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People standing at the base of the huge pillars of the Hypostyle Hall in the Karnak temple

The pillars of the Hypostyle Hall inside the magnificent Karnak temple in Luxor are huge and very well decorated. The Hypostyle Hall is huge, with a total of 134 large pillars covering a total (when constructed) area of 50,000 square feet.
The sheer size of the Hypostyle Hall can be seen, when you see the tourists at the base of the pillars; a lot of people find it hard to believe that this large structure was built over 35 centuries back and still stands tall.
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Pillars of the Hypostyle Hall in Karnak temple covered by architraves

When the Hypostyle Hall was re-discovered, it was in a mess. Now, if you visit it, it looks fairly nice. A majority of the pillars are all in position, the carvings and paintings on many of them look as if they were done only a few decades back, and in many of the cases, even the architraves on top of the pillars is in place (although the overall roof of the Hypostyle Hall has fallen down and most of the pillars are exposed to the elements).
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Carvings on the walls of the Karnak temple in Luxor

A set of carvings on the walls of the Karnak temple. As per the hieroglyphic language used by the ancient Egyptians, this would mean something that experts would be able to decipher (I was not able to decipher them obviously since I am not an expert); but it was interesting to see the carvings that were made on the stone of the temple, done so many centuries ago, retaining their form even after so many years.
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Exhibit showing restoration of the Cachette Courtyard inside the Karnak temple in Luxor

The Cachette Courtyard is the first court, with the courts being defined as the place between the pylons; the Cachette courtyard which was one of the first to be re-discovered. In addition, the Cachette courtyard was the location which was the start of the route taken by ceremonial processions to the Luxor temple. In addition, on the walls of the Cachette courtyard, the pharaoh Merenptah celebrated his victories over the Sea People.
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Gap between the pillars of the Hypostyle Hall in the Karnak temple in Luxor

The Hypostyle Hall inside the Karnak temple in Luxor is one of the most fascinating structures in the temple. This is a hall that was covering an area of approximately 50,000 square feet, and had a total of 134 pillars inside, with these pillars being well carved, and with paintings on the roof the hall. Now, very few portions of the roof remain, and most of these are now up after a lot of restoration that happened.
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Obelisk and tourists around it, seen from an archway inside the Karnak temple

The Obelisk is one of the most spectacular constructions inside the Karnak temple in Luxor (along with the pillars of the Hypostyle Hall); specially because the Obelisk seems in such a great condition when you compare this with the rest of the structures around it. The Obelisk remains popular to tourists, as you can see in this photo of a number of tourists surrounding the Obelisk (which is one of the 2 obelisks inside the Karnak temple).
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Photos of couple of obelisks inside the Karnak temple in Luxor

The Karnak temple in Luxor must be one of the rare such monuments which has 2 obelisks in the same complex (the ancient pharaohs used to place Obelisks at the entrance to temples, and the female pharaoh Hatshepsut created the obelisks, to be created in the city of Aswan).
In this photo, you can see the tops of both the Obelisks, rising above the structure of the Karnak temple.
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A couple of large statues against a wall inside the Karnak temple in Luxor

Temples inside ancient Egypt were built by pharaohs towards the gods, and also as a projection of their own divinity, with the temples showing statues of the pharaoh being close to the gods; the temples also showed statues of the pharaoh with arms crossed (which was a practice for mummies of pharaohs during the New Kingdom around 1500 BC).
You can also see the state of the temple at that time, with many walls standing, but an overall state of wear and tear.
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Side walls of the Karnak temple in Luxor, cordoned off for tourists

Large sections of the Karnak temple in Luxor are not open to tourists, with the precinct of Amon-Ra being the only open section. Even in the section open to tourists, restoration work is ongoing, with many structures and parts cordoned off (with rope, being just temporary cordoning off, since I could see a couple of people crossing the roped off section).
Here, the walls also show carvings, a lot of which is still retained even 35 centuries after the temple was built.
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An isolated section of the Karnak temple in Luxor, along with some palm trees

The Karnak temple in Luxor is a temple built of sandstone, with almost the entire structure made of stone, leaving very little greenery in the whole structure. However, we did see some trees inside the structure, such as the palm trees seen in this photo.
Most tourists do a quick round of the temple, see the Hypostyle Hall, and then come back; very few people bother to see the entire section visible to tourists (and there are large sections of the temple that are not open to tourists as well).
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View of 2 obelisks inside the Karnak temple in Luxor

This was a pretty rare sight. There are almost no other places in the world where you can see 2 such magnificent obelisks in the same location, and here they are in the Karnak temple complex in Luxor. As far as I can remember from my history, both these Obelisks were placed at the entry to the temple by the female pharaoh Hatshepsut, who is also famous for being the most powerful woman ruler for a long time (certainly at her time, there was no other woman ruler in such a position).
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Cordoned off structure inside the Karnak temple in Luxor

The Karnak temple was built in many sections by a number of pharaohs, and is one of the largest temple complexes inside Egypt. When inside the temple, I felt the need for a guide the maximum, since there were many structures inside that did not make sense to me, and a guide could have explained some of these.
One of these is this cordoned off structure inside the Karnak temple. It could well be the base of something much larger, such as a huge statue, but I did not anything similar to this inside the temple.
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Broken section of an obelisk inside the Karnak temple in Luxor

An Obelisk is one of the most famous symbols of ancient Egypt, with it being placed at the entrance to temples by the pharaoh of the day. And pharaohs considered it part of their honor to construct a temple (which also places them in the same position as the god), so there were a number of obelisks in ancient Egypt. Many of these were taken away / gifted away and find pride of place in many other cities of the world.
This is a photo of a well carved section of an obelisk lying on the ground inside the Karnak temple, most likely as part of a restoration effort.
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Crane in the middle of the structure of the Karnak temple in Luxor

In many of the previous photos, I have shown parts of the great Karnak temple in Luxor, as well as the crane that is there in the structure. In this photo, you can see how the actual size of the structure is pretty huge, and no photo (except for overhead photos) can really convey the true impression of the size of this temple. It seems remarkable that 35 centuries back, people could have constructed this huge temple, with so many artifacts inside it.
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Crowded lane inside the Khan el Khalili market in Cairo

The Khan el Khalili market is one of the most famous tourist attractions, being located in the Islamic quarter of Cairo, very close to the Al Azhar university. Once you are inside the market, you see a long lane of shops where you can buy a number of curios such as figurines, hukka devices, paintings, etc.
Inside the lane, you can see a lot of old construction, such as in this photo where you see buildings at the far end, in pretty bad condition.
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Open air cafes in front of the Khan El Khalili market in Cairo

The Khan El Khalili market is a very famous tourist attraction in the Islamic quarter of Cairo, very close to the Al Azhar Islamic university (the most prestigious university in the whole of the Islamic world).
This photo is of the cafes that line the front section of the market, and to the edge of the cafes, there are entry to lanes that lead inside the market. From this area, you cannot get an idea of the congestion inside the actual market.
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Khan el Khalili market in cairo - The front section of the market, on the outside

To get to the Khan el Khalili market in the Islamic Section of Cairo, you would normally take a bus or a taxi (or as part of a guided tour). You approach a square (with a small central garden), right next to the Al Azhar University, and get down there (and the entry point to the market is right next to the structures seen in this photo).
Your vehicle is not allowed to remain parked there, probably for security reasons, and you then make you way into the market, hopefully for some successful bargaining. Our travel in the market was remarkably safe, and we did not encounter any problem inside the market.
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Khan el Khalili market in Cairo - a wider part of the market

The Khan El Khalili market is located near the Al Azhar university, one of the most important centers of learning in the Islamic world. The market fits one of the symbols of the Islamic world, the bazaar where a lot of stuff is available, a lot of people are there, and you can do a lot of bargaining.
The market can be very narrow, but in this case, there is a slightly wider section of the market. This is near the entry to the market, and hence is wider; can get much narrower as you go inside.
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Khan el Khalili market in Cairo - right near the entry point to the market

The Khan el Khalili market is located in Cairo, in the Islamic district. It is one of the most famous tourist attractions in the city, and being a bazaar draws a huge number of people. The bazaar is very old, having been dated back to the year 1382, being the creation of the Emir Djaharks el-Khalili.
Why do people come to Khan el Khalili ? Right now, most people come there because it is a big tourist attraction, and for the chance to do some shopping, buy local curios, and do a lot of bargaining.
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Lot of structures inside the Karnak Temple in Luxor

A photo of a lot of structures inside the Karnak temple in Luxor. The Karnak temple is one of the most visited temples in Egypt. A lot of the structures inside the temple are in a decent condition, but some of them are in a pretty bad condition, as can be seen in this photo.
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Cordoned off section inside the Karnak temple in Luxor, with a lot of broken down stones

Inside the Karnak temple, there are a number of structures (primarily the Hypostyle Hall, and others) which are in a fairly good condition, or have been restored. But there are many other sections that are in a bad condition, such as this cordoned off section where there is a lot of material lying on the ground, and the construction is fairly destroyed.
One hopes that the section has been cordoned off in order to do restoration work, since the temple is an incredibly important historic evidence of ancient Egyptian history and culture.
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Trees and a crane at the end of a path inside the Karnak temple

In previous photos, a number of them inside the Great Karnak temple in Luxor, some of the photos have been regarding the bad condition of many of the structures inside the temple, as well as some of the restoration work that is happening there. A crane showed up in some of these photos.
In this photo, you can see the crane is actually inside the precints of the temple complex, probably used for moving some of the heavier blocks of stone that make up the temple walls.
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Angular view of the top part of an Obelisk at the Karnak temple in Luxor

The Obelisk is a truly fascinating structure. It looks pretty impressive, having been fashioned from a large piece of stone in quarries (through an elaborate system where water is frozen,expands and breaks the rock; and then the Obelisk is sent on river barges to the site of the temple).
Inside the Karnak temple, this is just the top part of the Obelisk, put on some supports and kept in such a way that the magnificence of the structure is clearly visible to all tourists.
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Collapsed structures against the backdrop of a crane at the Karnak temple in Luxor

When you have an ancient structure such as the Karnak temple in Luxor (built approximately 35 centuries back), there is the chance of tremendous wear and tear, and damage to the structure over the centuries (consider that at another site, the Colossi of Memnon, the entire temple has vanished over the centuries).
In this photo, you see how much of the structure has actually been damaged, with the stone blocks that make the walls of the temple lying around, and broken.
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The leaves and branches of a palm tree inside the Karnak temple in Luxor

There are very few trees to be found inside the complex of the Karnak temple. It is only to the rear of the temple complex, near the water pond that you will find signs of greenery. When I reached this area, the heat was pretty bad, and it was a pleasant sight to see a tree even though the palm tree really did not have any kind of shade to offer from the hot sun.
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