"There is a row of sphinxes there. I don't know what that is all about. There is a big wall. Again, don't know why that is there. If you have any questions, ask each other. I will overhear other guides and tell you what they say. I am not a tour guide; I am a taxi-driver"
So began our guide
Adl taking us around the massive temple complex of Karnak. He was, of course, joking, but his self-deprecation was a good counterpoint to one of the most impressive temple complexes in the world. It is maybe not as iconic as the Acropolis or as atmospheric as Angkor Wat, but Karnak is a sheer spectacle, and was the heart of the religious practices of ancient Egypt for thirteen centuries. Its central hypostyle hall alone, a forest of fat-bodied columns stretching to the sky, is big enough to contain both St Peter's Cathedral in Rome and St Paul's in London. For those pushed for time I think a guide is necessary to show you all the sights of greatest interest. For those with longer I wopuld recommend a leisurely tour under your own steam, followed up by a tour to put the site in context.
Sadly, we did not have that luxury. As a result Adl concentrated on showing us what made Karnak special - how the temple differed from those we had seen heading up the Nile valley from Aswan... as well as complaining about the damage done to the site by waves of barbarian invasions (principally, it seems, 'the bloody Kiwis'!) Processing up the avenue of ram-headed sphinxes that once used to connect the complex to Luxor Temple, you pass under the towering 43-metre high walls (the First Pylon). Earthern ramps behind them show how they were constructed layer upon layer. From here head left away from the crowds around the back of the Shrine of Seti II. On its rear wall you will see depictions of the, ahem, 'blessed' god
Min in his permanently engorged state. According to the patter, touching his divinity will lead to a fruitful relationship.
Circling back to the entrance to the Second Pylon Adl showed us a fallen obelisk. Did we see flecks of colour around the holes? Yes? Well that shows that the obelisks we see today were once even more spectacular, as they were covered with beaten gold, shining under the Egyptian sun like beacons.
Passing by the obligatory colossus of Ramses II - tiny compared to other representations at
Sun Temple of Ramses II or
Memphis, you pass into the great
Hypostyle Hall. I had previously only known this place as the scene of James Bond's fight with Jaws in The Spy Who Loved Me. But wow. It truly is one of the most awesome sights in the world. Covering 6000 square metres, stocked with a gross of towering palm-tree-trunked columns it is an incredible forest of sandstone. The carven columns miraculously still stand to this day, despite being held in place by nothing more than gravity. Originally the hall would have been roofed, with tiny high windows allowing beams of light to spear through clouds of perfumed incense and play over the graven images: a truly awe-inspiring glimpse into the mysteries of the Egyptian gods. Even today the roofless court is breathtaking. Visiting is best early in the morning (it opens at 6am)or late in the afternoon (it closes at 6.30pm) - this way you avoid the worst of the crowds, and get to see the great angled shadows of the columns as the sun shines in. Remnants of colour still cling to the hieroglyphs, and is astonishing to see red-skinned supplicants, cartouches highlighted in yellow, and Horus in his original falcon-grey.
It was here that Adl suddenly went all coy. Would we like to hear his theory about the true religious significance of this hall? Looking around to make sure we were not overheard he sketched a map in the dust and explained... well, it's not for me to say what he explained until he publishes his thesis. Suffice to say he gave us a new angle on the importance of the columns, allowing us to see this ancient ruin as it once was, as something functional, as something that had a very specific purpose in the rites of the pharoahs, rather than just a tourist attraction.
Enlightened, Adl then proceded to cater to our basic tourist needs, showing us the best angles from which to get our holiday snapshots - ranks of stone marching away from the lens like soldiers, gaps between the columns from where the needle-like obelisks of the female pharoah Hatshepshut could be seen jabbing up.
Adl then glanced at his watch, and lead us away from the central axis of the temple. Reaching a track amongst the stones he asked for a pair of sunglasses and a camera. Armed with these he showed us how to get the perfect image of
Hatshepsut's Obelisk, silhouetted by the sinking sun.
Heading back to the main axis, he took it to its logical end, the sanctuary of Amun, the holy of holies. From here, formerly the site of the god's sacred barque there is a long uninterrupted view all the way down the temple out to the main entrance, the route flanked with walls recording miltary victories, and the tributes offered by the subjugated foes. Further behind on the same axis, can be found the so-called Chapels of the Hearing Ear. Once straddling the enclosure boundaries, these enabled the common folk of ancient Thebes to beg for their own holy salvation (they were not allowed within the actual temple precincts). These chapels now lie well within the temple however, as its boundaries pushed further out and the poor were excluded from communion with their gods - possibly the most notable sign of the caste system in pharoanic Egypt.
A second axis deviates away from the central route to the south. Here you can find the cachette court, scene of the discovery of some of Egypt's most stunning statuary, found only in 1987 (the statues can be seen in the Cachette Hall of the
Luxor Museum and are well worth seeing). Beyond this there is a cool if murky sacred lake. There is also a giant carved scarab beetle representing the god Khepri. The guides' spiel say that if you perambulate around the scarab three times while thinking of your love they too will fall for you; seven times and you will be married. It is always great fun to count how ever many times people circle it.
Karnak is one of the great sights of the world, and I would say is the number one priority for anyone in Luxor for just a limited time. Entrance is E£50, but I would recommend an accredited guide to show you what you need to see. It is located north of the town centre. A taxi or caleche will cost around E£10, though there is a regular bus for a mere fraction of that price. You will need at least two hours to see this sprawling site in any amount of detail; Adl continually complained that he had only been booked for an hour, and that we had been longer than that already. Would we like to skip to the end, or see 'just one more' highlight? Of course, I'm sure he was secretly pleased that we clamoured to be shown just one more of his favourite parts of the temple. It is certainly the kind of place where you could get lost in wonder for hours!
From journal Sunrise, Sunset: 24 Hours in Luxor