Karnak is an enormous site on the east bank of the Nile, a bit north of Luxor. It was connected to the temple of Luxor by an avenue of rams, presumably to allow processions between the two. Today, the avenue disappears into the town of Luxor, and only the two ends are visible. Karnak was dedicated to Amon-Re, the most supreme god of Egypt in the later dynasties. Construction on the site began in the middle kingdom and continued, almost uninterrupted, through the Ptolemaic era. There are seven massive pylons, numerous temples and halls, forests of columns, the largest obelisks remaining in Egypt, and a large sacred lake. One can roam the site for hours just in the public areas, and there are acres and acres remaining to be excavated. In ancient times, thousands of priests lived and worked at this temple. Today, it is by far the largest of the open archeological sites.
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