Dan Snow's History Hit - Karnak: Egypt's Greatest Temple

Episode Date: October 10, 2022

Located on the banks of the River Nile in Luxor, Egypt, the Karnak Temple complex is one of the largest buildings ever constructed for religious purposes. Dedicated to the god Amun-Ra and covering over 200 acres - the Karnak Temple complex is bigger than some ancient cities.Earlier this year, Tristan from The Ancients podcast, visited the Temple complex and spoke to the Director of Karnak Temples, El-Tayeb Gharieb Mahmoud. In this special, on-location episode, Tristan and Tayeb give us a tour of one of the most colossal sites left from the ancient world. Journeying around the complex, looking at the reliefs, architecture, and reflecting on the Pharaohs responsible for its construction - what can we learn from this 4,000 year old building?If you'd like to learn more, we have hundreds of history documentaries, ad-free podcasts and audiobooks at History Hit - subscribe to History Hit today!To download the History Hit app please go to the Android or Apple store.Complete the survey and you'll be entered into a prize draw to win 5 Historical Non-Fiction Books- including a signed copy of Dan Snow's 'On This Day in History'.

This is History's Heroes. People with purpose, brave ideas, and the courage to stand alone. Including a pioneering surgeon who rebuilt the shattered faces of soldiers in the First World War. You know, he would look at these men and he would say, don't worry, Sonny, you'll have as good a face as any of us when I'm done with you. Join me, Alex von Tunzelman, for History's Heroes. Subscribe to History's Heroes wherever you get your podcasts. Hi, History Hit listeners. Everyone loves The Ancients with Tristan Hughes.

In the office, we call him the Tristorian. We make fun of him, but now he's a monster broadcaster in his own right, so it's less funny than it used to be. The joke's on us. He's an monster broadcaster in his own right, so it's less funny than it used to be. The joke's on us. He's an absolute legend. He convinced us years ago that there was an appetite for ultra-detailed ancient history in a podcast format. And you know what?

He was right. If, frankly, the classical fare you're getting on this podcast is too meagre, then you need to get involved in the ancients. He goes really deep. You're going to love it. Check out The Ancients with Tristan Hughes wherever you get your podcasts. It's The Ancients on History Hit. I'm Tristan Hughes, your host. And in today's podcast podcast we've got a special treat for you today

because a few months back I was fortunate enough to head over to Egypt to film a series of documentaries for History Hit and one of them was all about the greatest, or one of the greatest, definitely the biggest temple complex of the ancient world. This is the temple complex of Karnak, which boasts some 4,000, yes you heard that right, 4,000 years of history, stretching from the Middle Kingdom, the Middle Egyptian Kingdom, to Champollion, to Jean-Francois Champollion, the deciphering of hieroglyphs. And in this special podcast episode, it's taken from our recent documentary released on History Hit, all about Karnak. I chatted to El-Tayyab Gahyab Mahmood. Tayyab, who is the director of Karnak Temples. This man knows

everything that there is to know about Karnak Tem temples. He knows where each hieroglyph is, what each hieroglyph means. He is a walking encyclopedia for all things Karnak. And we were lucky enough, fortunate enough, to have some of his time when we visited Karnak a few months ago. And in this podcast episode, it's a mix of me sitting down with Tayeb in the great hyper-style hall of Seti I, and also a bit of a walk around too, looking at some other features such as the white chapel of Senesret I. That's all to come in this very special On Location in Egypt Ancients podcast. The first time we're doing an Ancients podcast outside of the UK. It's another symbol of how we're always growing,

always wanting to get bigger and better on the ancients. But without further ado, that's enough rambling on from me. Here's Tayeb to talk all about Karnak. Tayeb, first of all, thank you so much for coming on the podcast today. Thank you so much. You're welcome. I am so envious of your job and where you work here at Karnak because it's such an incredible site. I mean, we're talking from inside the Hyperstar Hall, one of the most iconic monuments here.

I'd like to ask you a few questions about this site, about Karnak now, if I may. I mean, first of all, Karnak in ancient Egypt, what exactly is Karnak? Karnak, it's the biggest and greatest religious temple over the world. When we talk about Karnak, we are talking about more than 247 hectares. Taib, that's insane, the size. I mean, this is one of, if not the largest religious sanctuary in the world or in the ancient world? In the ancient world, exactly, in the ancient world. So, when we talk about Karnak, we are talking about more than 247 acres.

Acres, right. More than 15 temples built for many gods and goddesses and kings inside this area. For example, we have the great temple and the main temple of the god Amun-Ra, the temple of the king Ramses II, the temple of the king Ramses III, temple of the god Betah, temple of the god Khonsu and Obed. We are talking about more than 15 temples built during different times of the Egyptian civilization as dedication for these gods and goddesses. And of all the gods and goddesses that were worshipped at Karnak, you mentioned Amun there. Does Amun seem to be this main deity which is worshipped at Karnak. You mentioned Amun there. Does Amun seem to be this main deity which is

worshipped at Karnak? Exactly, the main god, not just in Karnak, actually the main deity during the new kingdom and until the end of the Egyptian civilization was the god Amun-Ra, which means that we are talking about more than 2,000 years. And the god Amun-Ra, he was the main god and the main deity in the Egyptian civilization. And was Amun, was he a local god? I mean, do we think he's the cult of Amun, if we can say that? Did it originate in this area of Egypt and Upper Egypt around the ancient city of Thebes? Actually, Amun, he was a local god. At the beginning, when he was in Elmenia, in Chimino, and this is the original city of the god Amun.

But later, when he came to Luxor, step by step, he became the main god. And at the beginning, he was a local god, but later he became one of the first creators for the world, even for the cosmos, so that he became an international god. And Tayeb, going on from that, an international god, thousands of years of history We can talk about various sanctuaries around, various temples and shrines and chapels here

Which are dedicated to Amun, but it does also beg the question Do we know where it all begins, the whole sanctuary of Karnak? Do we know about the origins of this sanctuary? Yes, yes, of course, of course. Actually, we think that the starting of building in Karnak at least started during the time of the 12th dynasty and the Middle Kingdom. And still we have the open court, which belongs to that time.

But this is at least, because actually we think that the building of Karnak temples started before. For many proofs, for many evidences, one of them that still we have names of the kings from the old kingdom, like the king Senefro, the king Jedkara Isisi. All of these kings' names still exist on the list of the king Thutmose III in the festival and the temple of Akhmenu.

So, we think that the building of Karnak temples was initiated during the old kingdom. Of course, we didn't find until this moment a real and clear evidence. But some evidences prove that. But anyway, we are talking about more than 2,000 years. Why? Because... 2,000 BC. more than 2,000 years. Why? Because... 2,000 BC. You're talking about more than 2,000 BC.

Exactly, exactly. Why? Because the first part of the temple, the oldest part of the temple, started during the time of the king Sinusert I, Sinus Teres I, in around 1960 BC. And this is the white chubble which we found in blocks as fell inside the third pylon which belongs to the time of the king Amenophis the third he used these blocks and many thousands of blocks as fell inside his gate the third pylon and during our restoration and preservation for this part of the temple the third gate we found all of these blocks and we started to reconstruct

again all of them in an area we called it open air museum and still all of these chapels and shrines exist right there like the white chapel the alabaster chapel the chapel of the queen hachib sood the red chapel many chapels actually we found all of these blocks as fell inside the third pylon and until this moment we are trying to reconstruct all of these chapels again in the open-air museum. Well, you mentioned the White Chapel there, so let's go and have a look. OK, let's go. As Tayeb mentioned, the White Chapel is now situated to the side of Karnak in the open-air museum. Beautifully and accurately reconstructed, the building is some 4,000 years old.

This is the White Chapel. The White Chapel, this is the oldest part of Karmak complex. This is the most ancient part of Karmak temples. Dated to the time of the king Sinusert I. And can you see his name at all on here? Yes, this is the name of the king Sinusert. Ah, yes, the cartoon, yes. This is the old name,

this is a hieroglyphic name of the king Sinusert, around 1960 BC, during the 12th dynasty. And actually, there is no part of the temple older than this shrine. So this shrine is basically almost 4,000 years old. Around 4,000 years, exactly. That's incredible. It's in the detail all over the walls of this white chapel where you can see evidence of the close relationship pharaohs wish to stress between themselves and the god Amun. And Tayyab is taking me first of all to a particular depiction of Amun all to do with fertility. And this is a depiction that shows Amun with a very erect penis, there's no other way to say it. And standing opposite this depiction, this version of

Amun, is a depiction of the Pharaoh Senesret I with his royal regalia. So do we see depictions of Amun on the walls of this shrine? Yes of course, we can see here the depiction of the god Amun and we can read his name. of the god Amun and we can read his name. Jed-medu-en-e-men-ka-mut-ef. Nisut-netiru. So Kamut-ef, is this a particular version of Amun? Yes, exactly. And in his name, like this, it was the ethyphallic Amun.

Because actually we have two forms of the god Amun. The first one as the king of the sky, as the god of the sky and the sun. On the other side, we have the other name, Amun-Ra-Kamutef, and in this case, he is the Ithalic Amun, the god of the fertility and the sexual life in ancient times. So fertility, this version of Amun

is all to do with fertility. Exactly. And we can see the image of the god times. So fertility, this version of Amun is all to do with fertility. Exactly. And we can see the image of the god Amun reacting like this. And I guess is that Senna's right there on the right and that's Amun on the left? Exactly. This is the depiction of the king Sinusert

and his offer, a bread as offering in front of the Ithafalic god Gad Amun Ra or Amun Kamut F. And you can see the headdress that he's wearing, crowns, and with the serpent's little headdress there. Do we know what sort of crown this was? Was this the one that just represented a pharaoh? Actually, in this form, the king, he's wearing the white crown.

The white crown. Yes, this is just the white crown. The white crown. Yes, this is just the white crown, the crown of Upper Egypt. The crown of Upper Egypt. So was there a different crown if he was king of Lower Egypt? Exactly. We have the red crown and the red crown for Lower Egypt. And we can see it right here. Oh, this is the red crown.

You can see how different it is. Yes. Exactly. Right. So Lower Egypt, that's the end closer to the Nile Delta, to Memphis and that area. Exactly, from Memphis to Alexandria, to the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. This is what we call Lower Egypt. Got it.

And Upper Egypt, where we are at the moment in Karnak and Thieves, Ancient Thieves, this was Upper Egypt. Got it. And Upper Egypt, where we are at the moment in Karnak, and Thebes, ancient Thebes, this was Upper Egypt. We are in the center, in the heart of Upper Egypt. And we are in the capital of Upper Egypt at that time, Thebes, Luxor nowadays. Now a key role of Karnak was as a home of the said festival. This was an official renewal ceremony of a pharaoh's power some three decades, 30 years into their reign. And the function of the White Chapel of Sennazret I may well be aligned with this Sed Festival. Some Egyptologists think that this shrine for the said festival and the said festival,

it was very important for the Egyptian king to renewing his life, to renewing his power. So he used to celebrate with this festival after 30 years of his reign of his ruling for the country and during this festival he used to make many ceremonies many rituals in front of the common people to prove that he can control Egypt he can rule for another 30 years. So that sometimes he used to control a pool to show his power, to show his strength for his people. So that maybe this shrine used for this purpose, for this function, where we can see the name of the festival over here.

Oh yes, down there, so it's down here is it? Exactly, down here we can see the name of the said festival. Right. After 30 years on the throne, this important festival, the revival of your strength, of your power, and it was incredibly significant and important for the pharaohs, for their people. Yeah, that's right. So actually, Taya, from what you're saying, so this altar here in the center,

does this not date, therefore, to the time of Senesret I? Is this later? Was there originally something else in the center? Exactly, this is the point. Some Egyptologists think that this part of the shrine, the altar, the granite altar, added later to the time of the King Sinusar. But originally we had a royal throne. Here, double royal throne for the two faces, the two entrances, and the king, he acting at that time himself as the king of Lower Egypt and the king of Upper Egypt during the Sidd festival.

Senesret's legacy at Karnak is clear thanks to the preserved White Chapel. This often overlooked building, now to the side of the main temple complex, full to the brim with invaluable hieroglyphs and imagery, well this white chapel it emphasises the importance of Karnak and Amun for pharaohs as early as 2000 BC. But 2000 BC, well this was only the beginning. Karnak's importance increased over the following centuries and by the time that the Egyptian new kingdom dawned in the mid-second millennium BC with the famous 18th dynasty,

Karnak was well on its way to becoming the monumental complex you can still see today. So Tayyab, you see all of these constructions and by the time you get to the famous 18th dynasty, the likes of Tutankhamun and so many others does it feel like this is a real golden age for Karnak yes of course we can say that for sure the golden age of Karnak temples it was during the new kingdom and especially the

18th dynasty why because the great builders of Karnak temples was at that time, like the Queen Hatshepsut, the King Amenophis I, the King Thutmose III. He was one of the real builders of Karnak temples, especially the heart and the central area. And of course, the King Rameses the king city the first actually the golden age and the golden times of karnak temples it was during the

new kingdom and especially during the 18th dynasty well you mentioned i mean there's so many names there we could pursue but as we are talking from the Hypostyle Hall I feel we need to kick it off with Seti I. I mean Tayeb talk to me a bit about who Seti I was when he was reigning and what's his great contribution to Karnak. Actually the king Seti I he was one of the builder of Karnak Timbles and he started in a very special part of karnak temples and this is the hybo style hall because actually the hybo style hall before city the first it was very simple just a corridor in the middle surrounded by columns and two walls but, during the time of the king Siti, at the beginning of the 19th dynasty, around 1290 BC, he started to add more columns. He removed both of the walls on each side and he started to add more columns and built 122 columns. So 134 therefore in total yes the 12 in the middle the larger one this belongs to the

time of the king Amenophis and the 20 the 122 this belongs to the time of the king Siti and he started the work in the northern part but he died before he finished his work so that his successor and his son the king the great king rameses he completed the work of his father and finished it in the northern part and he continue in the southern part one of the most important parts which belongs to the time of the king city the first it's the military scenes which we can see on the northern exterior wall of the Haibu style hall where we can see the king and the battlefield when he tried to invade Palestine to save the boundaries of Egypt against some tribes who wanted to invade Egypt so that in his first year of his reign he started to stop all of these tribes to enter to Egypt to make kind of hostilities against Egypt so that he led his army marched to the north and he started some battles against some tribes in palestine called shasso and he reached

to lebanon and he brought some wood the cedar wood from there and he come back again so the king city he was one of the most important kings who held and built special buildings in karnak temples so he's a pharaoh that you can see the legacy of today in karnak you can see his military legacy as you mentioned on that exterior wall his military achievements but also we are sitting in the hyper style hall at one of those 122 columns you can see his architectural achievements too i mean the building achievements it's got Seti all over the place. I know it's got Ramesses, his son and successor there too. But if you come to somewhere like Karnak,

you can't help but know or hear or think of the name Seti I. Yes, of course. Seti I. He was the father of the King Ramses. And by the way, the King Ramses, he ruled for 67 years. That's insane back then. It was a long time to do something like this. But his father, Siti, he didn't rule like his son because he was so old.

So he died early. I want to say maybe if the king city he lived more he could do something amazing more than the hybostyle hall or more than the military scenes which he represented on the exterior wall of the hybostyle hall but anyway even his time was so short the city, he did something amazing in Karnak, like the Hybostyle Hall, which they spent more than 120 years just in this part of the temple. And until this moment,

we think that it's the most impressive part of all of Karnak complex. It is incredibly impressive. Absolutely, indeed. Let's go and have a walk around. Yeah, let's go. This is History's Heroes. People with purpose, brave ideas,

and the courage to stand alone. Including a pioneering surgeon who rebuilt the shattered faces of soldiers in the First World War. You know, he would look at these men and he would say, don't worry, Sonny, you'll have as good a face as any of us when I'm done with you. Join me, Alex von Tunzelman, for History's Heroes. Subscribe to History's Heroes wherever you get your podcasts. Weaving your way through the massive columns of the Hyperstar Hall is quite unlike anything I've ever experienced. It's incredible the feelings you get. You see the reliefs, the hieroglyphs, the huge cartouches visible all around you and the

size of the structure in itself, the size of the columns you're walking through, you're weaving your way through, well they make you feel quite small indeed. But what was the function of the hypostyle hall? What was it used for? The function to build the hypostyle hall was a kind of imitation for the myth and the legend of Horus. The legend of Horus? Exactly. When the god Osiris died,

the legal heir, he was his son and his successor, the god Horus. But his uncle refused this and he tried to kill him to take the mother of the god Horus, the goddess Isis, tried to hide them in the marshes of El Delta which fell off papyrus flowers and trees She tried to hide him inside and in between these trees and these papyrus flowers as a legal heir of the throne of Egypt So that they did the same heir of the throne of Egypt, so that they did the same here in the hypostyle hall, which looks like a veritable forest in stone. Yes, because you've got these columns here at the end, you know, these closed papyrus

columns. Those gigantic open papyrus ones in the centre, that central colonnade. This is the point. That's the point. So they represent the papyri of this myth, of this legend of Horus. Exactly. The Hyperstyle Hall contains a total of 134 columns. The vast majority, 122 of them in fact, are 15-metre-high closed papyrus columns.

So-called because the top of each column resembles a closed papyrus flower. columns, so-called because the top of each column resembles a closed papyrus flower. The 12 gigantic 22-metre high columns that form the hall's central colonnade are open papyrus, open as their tops resemble an open papyrus flower. Why sometimes open, sometimes closed? We think this depends on the sunlight why because originally this part of the temple was roofed right so that the floors on each side it's completely under the shade so it's not grown up easily but in the middle the larger columns it's comes the sunbeams yes the sun comes the small windows up there are so those small slits exactly so it take the Sun easily so that it's grown up so easy so that it depends of the light it's the flower

grown up or not grown up this part of the temple the hypo style hall it was for the most important people like the royal family the people around the king just to enter and to be in this part of the temple so to make kind of rituals and ceremonies so completely unlike today where anyone can come in you know it's such a popular attraction as we can see right now of course not back in ancient egypt no one would be now allowed in no one of the common people as you said it was just it was come in, you know, it's such a popular attraction. As we can see right now, back in ancient Egypt, no one would have been allowed in, no one of the common people, as you said, it was just, it was special access. No way. This is history's heroes, people with purpose, brave ideas, and the courage to stand alone, including a pioneering surgeon who rebuilt the shattered faces of soldiers in the First World War.

You know, he would look at these men and he would say, don't worry, Sonny, you'll have as good a face as any of us when I'm done with you. Join me, Alex von Tunzelman, for History's Heroes. Subscribe to History's Heroes wherever you get your podcasts. But perhaps the most striking aspect of the Hyperstyle Hall's busy central colonnade is the colour that you can still see so clearly on these columns. And, Tye, the colour here is absolutely incredible. You'd be forgiven for thinking it's been painted on, but no. What's the story behind this beautiful colour?

No way. All of these colours are original. They're original? Yes. In Zbaib, the Haib style hall was initiated, the work was initiated during the time of the king Amenophis III, just in the middle part. And we are talking around 1390 BC. But the decoration of the Hypostyle Hall was begun during the time of the king Siti, father of the king Ramses. And the king Ramses, the son of the king's city and his successor, he finished the whole work and the decoration of the Hypo style hall. You can see the remaining of the colors everywhere. It's amazing to see all of these colors after 3,000 years, which

we used to see it covered by dust and the smoke and now we can see it very clear after the project which we started about eight months ago. Now on these coloured columns you can see depictions of Ramesses II making offerings to various gods particularly various forms of Amun the fertility version of Amun but also the version of Amun that becomes very prominent at the time of the 18th dynasty and from then on where Amun becomes the god of the universe, the head god, Amun-Ra. On one column you can see Ramesses offering milk to Amun, on another he's offering red wine, on another there's bread, and so on. It is the Hyperstal Hall. It's an absolutely stunning structure. But it wasn't just men who built its karnak in ancient Egyptian times.

Women also built here too. Particularly a remarkable 18th dynasty pharaoh called Hatshepsut. dynasty pharaoh called Hatshepsut. Now Tayeb, keeping on the 18th dynasty, the famous 18th dynasty, I'd love to ask you a bit more about the pharaoh Hatshepsut because we seem to see her constructions, her monuments, her image all around the Karnak complex. Yes, the queen Hship suit she was one of the most important queens who did amazing work in karnak and i told you the golden age and the golden time for karnak temples it was during the 18th dynasty so the queen hadship suit she was a woman but she wanted to prove that despite she was a woman she can do something like the men so that she represented herself like the pharaohs the men she wore the headdress of the men she wore the short skirt she even wore the false beard so that she

represented herself just like a man and she ruled for 22 years and during this time she did amazing job in karnak temples for example we discovered in our restoration for the third gate or the third pylon, we discovered the Red Chabal, which belongs to the time of the Queen Hatshepsut. And it's one of the most important shrines of all of Karnak Temples. It's built of quartzite stone, which they brought from the Red Chabal. And this is red-colored. This is a great red colored yes exactly so that we called it red chapel and we think the red chapel of the queen was in the middle of karnak temples instead of

the shrine of the king philippe originally the shrine of the queen was there at the holy of hollies or the sacred bark of the carnic temples but later maybe the king tutmose and his follower they dismantled this shrine and threw the stones away until the king amun-Ufis III came and he decided to reuse this block again as fill in his gate the third gate or the third pylon in the middle of in the center of Karmak temples. Now there's one thing that I'd love to ask you about there and we're going back to Amun here but it's a key part of the Amun story and that was the sacred bark this boat you see his depiction of it in the Chapel Rouge as well I mean what was the sacred bark festival this boat. You see his depiction of it in the Chapeau Rouge as well. I mean, what was the sacred bark festival?

Why was it so important? Actually, the sacred bark of the Gad Amon, it wasn't just for one festival. No, actually, it was a wooden boat, a wooden boat. And it had the most sacred statue which made of pure gold and they hide it inside a niche or a nose in the middle of the boat and this boat was get out from the shrine to be carried on the shoulders of the priests during many celebrations and feasts like the festival of the Obet, like the festival of the beautiful valley when they used to carry this boat

to go to Luxor Temple by the Nile or by the Sphinx Avenue. This is during the festival of Obet. Sometimes they cross the Nile with the boat carrying on the shoulders of the priests to go to the Valley of the Kings to visit the ancestors. It seems such an important ceremony and so connected to Karnak through its long history.

And to see, therefore, visual depictions on it of somewhere like the Chapelle Rouge of Hatshepsut. I mean, if we focus in on Hatshepsut and Amun's relationship, because time and time again, you don't only just see Hatshepsut at Karnak, but you see her alongside Amun, the sacred bark ceremony and so many others. It's really interesting how closely connected she is to Amun.

Yes, exactly. Even some of the kings and queens in the Egyptian civilization claimed that they are the sons or the daughters of the god. One of these queens and kings, she was the queen Hatshepsut. One of these queens and kings, she was the queen Hatshepsut. She claimed that she was the daughter of the god Amun-Ra. So that she ruled Egypt because she wasn't just a queen, she was the daughter of the god Amun-Ra. And she recorded this on a wall inside the birthday wall in Luxor temple

we can say how the queen she recorded that she was the daughter of the god Ra from her mother the goddess Ahmos now one last thing on Hatshepsut before before we move on gotta ask about the obelisks of hatshepsut at karnak because it talks me a bit about the obelisks and also the restoration work of one fallen obelisk which you've now it's no longer fallen uh-huh actually the queen hatshepsut as i said before she did a great job in karnak temples one of the most important features for this queen the two obelisks which she erect in the middle of karnak temples each one about 30 meters in height and it made of red granite from the quarry in Aswan. How far away is Aswan? More than 500 kilometers.

Really? Wow! Yes, more than 500 kilometers, just south of Luxor. So that it was a long, long way to bring this kind of stuff, especially when you know that the weight of this obelisk more than 300 tons one single piece of red granite i guess it's a great example of the the effort that they were willing to go to to get these monoliths up at a place like karnak and then decorate them too with these solar symbols were they associated with amman can we imagine them being really beautiful to look at in ancient Egyptian times? Actually, the decoration for many gods,

like the god Amun, the god Amun-Min, this is another form of the god Amun, the goddesses like Isis, Hathor, Mut, all of these decorations which colored. It's scattered and it's spread everywhere in Karnak temples. In spite, it defaced many of these colors, are destroyed because of the nature, because of the earthquakes,

and unfortunately, because of the nature, because of the earthquakes and unfortunately because of the people who lived in the medieval times inside karnak temples and reused some parts of the temple so that all of this badly affect on the colors. Some parts are destroyed, some parts are covered by smog from the people who lived there and used to make the fire for cooking for firing so that the smog was covered completely these parts of the color

so that in spite all of this still you can see some perfect remains and amazing remains of the color everywhere like in the hypostyle hole like and the holy of hol like in the Hypostyle Hall, like in the Holy of Holies, in the middle of Karnak Temples, in Khonsu Temple, still exist some remains of the color who give us an idea how the temple was during the ancient times. It is absolutely astonishing,

and I love the fact that at this place, you know, you're reconstructing some 4,000-year-old buildings, you're cleaning away some of these columns to get the colour, to show how beautiful it would have looked like thousands of years ago. You're re-erecting obelisks, like that fallen obelisk that has just recently been erected, hasn't it, of Hatshepsut? Yes, we did.

Actually, it's not a complete one, because this is the southern obelisk of the Queen Hatshepsut but this is just the upper part and this upper part was lying nearby the sacred lake for more than 100 years and the Ministry of Tourism and

Antiquities started to re-erect this part of the obelisk of the Queen Hatshepsut again just 3 months ago. We started to make restoration, preservation, and we made a new base for this part of the obelisk, and we re-erected again nearby to the sacred lake. It's about 10 meters in length and about 80 tons, more than 80 tons. Just 10 meters of the whole length of the Queen, obelisk of the Queen Hatshepsut. Well, Tayeb, I could ask questions for hours, but I'm going to wrap it up there for the moment.

Thank you so much for coming on the podcast today. Thank you so much. Well, there you go. There was the legend, that is Tayeb, the director of Karnak Temples, giving you an introduction to Karnak and why it is such an incredible place to go and visit. I loved visiting Karnak. Definitely one of the greatest ancient sites that I've ever been to. So I highly recommend if anyone wants to go down the Nile in the future, or up the River Nile, so to speak,

to definitely check out Karnak in Monday Luxor you won't be disappointed it's incredible but that's enough from me last but certainly not least if you'd be kind enough to leave us a lovely rating on Apple podcast and Spotify wherever you get your podcasts from we the whole team will be greatly appreciated as we continue our mission to share these awesome stories from ancient history with you it's been an absolute pleasure and long may the ancients podcast continue but that's enough from me and i'll see you in the next episode This is History's Heroes. People with purpose, brave ideas, and the courage to stand alone. Including a pioneering surgeon who rebuilt the

shattered faces of soldiers in the First World War. You know, he would look at these men and he would say, don't worry, Sonny, you'll have as good a face as any of us when I'm done with you. Join me, Alex von Tunzelman, for History's Heroes. Subscribe to History's Heroes wherever you get your podcasts.