Karnak Temple

We start our day by catching a ride on hantours (traditional horse-drawn buggies) and set out up the Corniche a kilometre or two to Karnak. Karnak! The largest religious complex on the planet Forget all you have come to expect in regard to scale and space, and be astonished by the Temples of Amun-Ra and his divine wife, Mut and their son, Khonsu.

Where to start, and what does it all mean? We will be on hand to show you through the labyrinth and explain the purpose, meaning and history of the amazing ruins of Karnak.

Many visitors walk right past one of the treasures of Karnak - its Open Air Museum. We will introduce you to some of the architectural wonders which were re-used as fill by later generations of Egyptian architects but which have been re-erected in all their glory in this Museum.

Enter the Great Hypostyle Hall built by Seti I, father of Ramesses the Great - over 6000 sqm, 134 columns - the 12 which flank the processional way are 23m tall - words, facts and figures can never do justice to the experience that is Karnak. We also plan to visit the small Temple of Ptah that lies within the Karnak complex and contains a wonderful statue of the lioness-goddess Sehkmet.

Having explored the temples by day, we return to Karnak in the evening for the Sound and Light Show where we wander through the illuminated halls to a seating pavilion by the Sacred Lake and listen to words from ancient Egypt while the pylons, obelisks and ruins before us turn from blue to gold to red and back again as a slight breeze blows from the Nile across the wonders of Karnak.

Karnak Temple