Karnak Temple Complex

Luxor Governorate, Egypt

Freely accessible

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The Karnak Temple Complex comprises a vast ensemble of temples, pylons, chapels, and ancillary structures near Luxor in Egypt's Luxor Governorate. Construction began during the reign of Senusret I in the Middle Kingdom (c. 1971–1926 BC) and continued intermittently into the Ptolemaic Kingdom (305–30 BC), though most surviving buildings date from the New Kingdom. In antiquity, the site was called Ipet-isut, "The Most Selected of Places," and served as the principal sanctuary of the Theban Triad, centered on the god Amun. The complex takes its modern name from the nearby village of El-Karnak, situated approximately 2.5 kilometers north of Luxor. In 1979, Karnak was inscribed as part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site encompassing the monumental city of Thebes.