A doorway leading to another section inside the Karnak temple in Luxor

When we are inside the Karnak temple in Luxor, we saw a number of structures, something which seemed obvious given that a number of pharaohs did work on the temple and added their contributions. In this photo, you can see a small doorway that leads to another section of the temple.
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Palm trees inside the premises of the Karnak temple in Luxor

The Karnak temple in Luxor is a mixture of different types of sandstone structures, built over a period of time by different pharaohs. Once you get there, you see a huge number of structures, of different shapes and sizes, and in different conditions (some are more ruined, some are less ruined). In the midst of these, you can also see some trees, which seem totally out of place (you expect the whole place to built over, devoid of greenery).
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Cordoned off statue inside the Karnak temple in Luxor

This statues inside the Karnak temple has a different texture from the rest of the statues, seems more white in shape. Further, looks like the statue was undergoing some repairs, hence it was slightly cordoned off so that tourists do not touch it in any way (but it was just a light cordoning off).
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Dog sleeping in front of the gate of the Karnak temple in Luxor

I found this sight real cute. Here was a temple in Luxor that sees a large number of tourists arriving there on a daily basis, and in the middle of all this, there is this dog sleeping in front of the main door (a bit to the side).
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View of people standing in front of the huge structure of the Karnak temple in Luxor

When you stand before the magnificent Karnak temple in Luxor, you see this structure that has seen much better times, but still retains a huge amount of the structure it had when it was built around 35 centuries back. Here, you see a photo of people standing in front of the temple, where there is a view of pillars that have seen wear and tear, and so have the other remnants of the temple behind the pillars.
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Sample of the blocks from which the Karnak temple is made

In this photo, I was trying to take a close up of the blocks from which the Karnak temple is constructed. They seem like extra size concrete bricks; in some of these blocks, I was able to see the names of people on these blocks. However, it was not clear whether these were the handiwork of the workers who had made the place, or whether this was vandalism.
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Construction material at the entrance of the grand gate near the Karnak temple

With historical sites such as the Karnak temple at Luxor, there is a lot of repair and maintenance work that needs to happen on a regular basis so that the site remains as it should. Here, you can see samples of the construction material that are piled in front of the grand gates of the Karnak temple. It looks the same as the material from which the temple was built.
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Tourists walking in the path through the middle of the Karnak temple

When walking through the Karnak temple in Luxor, we could see that the path for the tourists was right through the center of the temple complex. This path took us through a middle lane that was surrounded by structures on both sides, and many of them were imposing structures, if you consider that the temple was constructed around 35 centuries back.
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Couple of Sphinx like structures inside the Karnak temple in Luxor, Egypt

The Sphinx is a very famous structures from ancient Egypt history, all the time from the Great Shinx near the Great Pyramids. In this photo, you can see a couple of such large structures in the form of Sphinx inside the magnificent Karnak temple in Luxor. The temple is a huge place, and a large part of it is not even open for tourists to view.
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A defaced structure inside the temple of Karnak in Luxor

I looked at this structure for some time, but since was not an expert, had no idea what it was. It was located inside the Karnak temple in Luxor, but the sides of the statue seemed to indicate that this was either a statue for the Sphinx, or to represent the pharaoh who was playing a role in the building of the temple.
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View of the structures of different sizes and shapes in the Karnak temple in Luxor

The temple at Karnak seems beaten and worn down by time, when you look at this structure. This is after you have passed the initial set of walls at the entrance of the temple, but you still have to admire the magnificence of the temple complex. You can see people passing through the passage between the structures of the temple, and in the distance, you can see the Obelisk in the gap between the walls.
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View between 2 towering structures inside the Karnak temple in Luxor

When you look at the temple of Karnak in Luxor, you admire the magnificence of the structure, and even more the fact that it was built in the 13-14th century BC, at a time when there was no machinery and no structure to hoist such huge blocks in place. When you stand between them, you can see these structures rising high above you, and have to admire the vision of the pharaohs who built these structures.
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View of some of the structures inside the Karnak temple in Luxor

The Karnak temple in Luxor is such a huge structure, and was built by so many pharaohs over the years that there is a lot of stuff inside the temple for tourists to see. Many of them are still in the process of being catalogued (with many sections of the temple complex not available for tourists to visit).
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A pillar with carvings at the Karnak temple in Luxor, but worn away due to the depths of time

This is a pillar inside the Karnak temple that has seen better times. The pillar is now cracked, the hieroglyphs on the surface of the pillar are still visible, although they have been worn away a lot as well. From what I understand though, the amount still visible is enough for experts to understand what is written on the pillar.
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Umbrella among the row of giant Sphinx statues at the gate of the Karnak temple in Luxor

Seems a bit strange to see the umbrella among all the huge statues of Sphinx (and these are pretty large statues, when you compare with the size of humans wandering about the statues); there were some vendors there next to the temples, selling stuff (it was pretty hot as well, so the umbrella would have been useful). The photo is another example of the sheer magnificence of the Karnak temple, since you can see the sheer size of the structure, built more than 3 millenia ago by a series of pharaohs.
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The magnificent structure of the Karnak temple in Luxor

When you get closer to the Karnak temple in Luxor, then you realize the huge nature of the structure of the temple and admire how the ancient rulers got such structures built, that too with them lasting for millenia. It is only in recent times that they have been cared for, but over the years, they have been neglected, blasted by sandstorms, suffered earthquakes, and many other problems that could impact structures very heavily.
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Tourists entering the main route for the Karnak temple in Luxor

The Karnak temple in Luxor is very popular with tourists. Since Luxor is on the tourist map for almost every tourist to Egypt, it is also expected that they will pay a visit to the Karnak temple, since that is the biggest tourist destination inside the city (the Valley of the Kings and others are outside Luxor). In this photo, you can see the main entry point to the temple, and the tourists who are thronging the place.
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View of Sphinx in a line at the entrance to the Karnak temple in Luxor

The Sphinx are one of the prominent symbols in the ancient architecture of Egypt, whether this be the Great Sphinx near the Pyramids, or these large statues in a row right outside the Karnak temple in Luxor. They are an impressive sight, specially since they have been there now for more than 3 millenia, and still retain a fair amount of their structure, suffering much less wear and tear than you would expect.
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Structures inside the Karnak temple in Luxor in Egypt

The Karnak temple in Luxor is a magnificent temple complex, with additions built by a number of pharaohs over the years. For tourists, most of the temple is not open, with only the precint of Amun-Ra being open. For non-experts, there are huge sections of the temple which are not clear, such as this structure inside the temple.
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View of a row of Sphinx statues at the entrance to the Karnak temple

At the entrance to the magnificent temple of Karnak in Luxor, there are the huge entrance gates. In addition, what is also fascinating are these rows of stone statues of the Sphinx, arranged in a row. Some of them have suffered damage over the years, but considering that these statues were actually put in place a millenia before Christ, it is fairly spectacular that they have retained their appearance.
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View of the front pylon of the Great Karnak temple at Luxor in Egypt

The Great Karnak temple in Luxor is a magnificent structure, built by a number of pharaohs over the years. Not all the parts of the temple are open for tourists, and it is supposed to take a number of days to cover if you take a careful look at the archaeology and the remains. This photo shows the large structure that is visible to tourists once you enter the complex, and is visible from quite a distance.
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A pillar with carvings at the front of the Karnak Temple in Luxor

The previous set of photos have highlighted the various infrastructure related to the magnificent temple of Karnak at Luxor. This is the first photo I have posted that shows a pillar with carvings on it, and it shows signs of wear and tear; including a crack running down the front surface between the carvings (and since I cannot read the language, I have no idea what the carvings actually mean).
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Tree and some Apartments at one corner of the Karnak temple in Luxor

In front of the Karnak temple in Luxor, there is a huge open space. In this photo, of the front area of the Karnak temple, the place seems totally open and cleared (with no tourists also visible). At the side of the place, you can see an apartment complex which displays how modern civilization has crept upto the reminders of the ancient civilizations.
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View of the front pylons of the Karnak temple at Luxor, and tourists returning from it

I really like this photo. It shows tourists, open space, and the front pylons of the magnificent structure of the Karnak temple at Luxor. The temple has a huge open space in front, and when you see tourists walking in this open space; with the background of the temple, it looks incredible. Here, in this photo, you can see the remains of the huge temple (built by a number of pharaohs over the years).
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A seemingly bored security guard at the Karnak temple in Luxor

Security in Egypt is a pretty big deal, ever since the terrorist attack on tourists from around a decade back which killed more than 50 tourists. That attack badly dented the tourism industry, and shocked the Egyptian Government into increasing the level of security available for tourists. In this photo, you can see a security guard at the huge Karnak temple in Luxor, looking very bored.
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The view of the front of the Great Karnak temple in Luxor, with wide open spaces

The front section of the Great temple of Karnak at Luxor has a huge open space, as can be seen in this photo and in some of the photos previously posted. The space is very large, and since no parking is allowed, the space remains empty and looks huge. There are trees planted in the middle of the space, and when you see the distance, you see tourists, but otherwise, you see empty spaces - and in the distance, you can see these large hills.
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Tourists walking away from the Karnak temple in Luxor, with hills in front

The space in front of the Karnak temple in Luxor. The space in front of the actual construction is a well planned space, with trees in a line and a lot of tourists walking away from the temple complex. In the distance, you can see some hills.
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Apartment blocks to the side of the Karnak Temple at Luxor

The Karnak temple in Luxor is one of the greatest tourist attractions of Luxor, in fact, the most famous after the Pyramids, the Great Sphinx, and Abu Simbel. However, like many other tourist attractions of Egypt, there is habitation next to many of the tourist attractions, and in this case, you can see apartment blocks to the side of the front portion of the Karnak temple.
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Tourists returning after visiting the Karnak temple in Luxor

A view of tourists returning after visiting the Karnak temple in Luxor. The place is an incredible structure, built by many pharaohs over a period of time. It retains many parts of the original structure, and looks incredibly impressive.

Just like the photo above, you can see a person who has already visited the temple, and is now waiting for the rest of his group to arrive. So, you can see him waiting rather impatiently for the rest of the people to arrive. There is a lot of place in front of the temple where a person can wait.