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Karnak: Hypostyle Hall (Roberts 1839)    .


Interior of the Hypostyle Hall at Karnak (Roberts 1842).


Karnak, part of ancient Thebes (today called Luxor), contained a vast (1.5 by 0.8 km) complex of temples begun in the Middle Kingdom and built up during the 18th Dynasty (1550-1307 BC), when Thebes became the center of dynastic administration. The site was then rebuilt over more than 2000 years through the Graeco-Roman era. There were three temple complexes established at Karnak in the 18th Dynasty and expanded in the 19th Dynasty, dedicated to the sun god Amun-Re, his female consort Mut, andtheir son  Montu.

The largest temple complex is the precinct of Amun in the northern part of Karnak, begun by Akhenaten (1353-1335 BC). The massive Hypostyle Hall, built during the 19th Dynasty by Seti I (1306-1290 BC) and Ramesses II (1290-1223 BC), is located between the 2nd and 3rd pylons of the temple precinct of Amun. It is accurately portrayed here for the first time in an early colored lithograph by David Roberts, drawn in 1839 and published in 1842.

The Hyptostyle Hall, once roofed, had a total of 134 papyrus columns, and 12 central columns covered with painted reliefs. The central columns are 22 meters high, with lotus capitals. As portrayed by Roberts, there are painted reliefs on the central columns, and hieroglyphic inscriptions on the lintels or bars they support.  The vast scale of the structure is indicated by two figures at bottom.
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