Egypt Day 7

Tough day today. I had intended to visit the temples of Karnak and Luxor today, but after 3 hours at Karnak I had enough, and I went to get some rest. One advantage of travelling solo, a flexible schedule.

Karnal is, according to Egypt, the largest religious building in the world. When I was in Cambodia the claim was the same for Angor Wat. 

Karnak is huge. Successive ruler added on and on, so it's not well organized, but spectacular. Ramses II was a powerful pharaoh, but also a bit of a megalomaniac. There are more statues of him than anyone else, all over Egypt. Sometimes he would alter an existing statue, by replacing the original name with his own.

The most spectacular monument at Karnak, though, are the granite obelisks created during the reign of Queen Hatshepsut. Only one remains standing. The tip was lined with gold, and must have been quite a sight in the morning sun. The gold has been gone a long time.

Karnak Temple was not only a religious site, but an important political organization. As more and more pharaohs donated to the temple the temple became more powerful than the pharaoh.

Luxor was the religious Capitol of Egypt, and had a population of 3 million. The temple had 450 000 head of cattle, owned 63 villages, 2700 acres of arable land, and employed 81 000 people. There were 68 000 priests.

You can see where this is a real drain on the finances of Egypt, and the power of the pharaoh.

This would eventually lead to the collapse of the country.

The weather has warmed up, mid thirties, no shade. After 3 hours at Karnak I need a break, so I am now resting.

Enjoy