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At the first pylon of Karnak
Temple you can come on an alley guarded by sphinxes, hybrid
creatures with the body of a lion and the head of a ram. The
pylon with the color of the sand, with two austere towers it
looms ahead, looking like the entrance into a feudal castle. For
sure, this is not what the Egyptians from the modern times
thought of when they called the ruins from Karnak ‘the
fortress’. The pylon has two towers that have a height of 24
meters and a width of 65 meters as well as a façade carved in
the sunken relief. The relief depicts the battle of Ramses II
from the 5th year of the reign. Unfortunately the pylon’s façade
is not in a good shape anymore and the scenes are not so easy to
be discerned. But the battle is recorded in some other temples.
On the West’s façade (the right tower) you can see the scene of
the pharaoh meeting the princes and the advisors to talk about
tactics. The pharaoh is depicted in his war chariot while
fighting. On the East façade (the left tower), you can see the
enemies dying in battle. The Nubian Dynasty kings also have
their military victories on the walls of the pylon. The towers
of pylon used to support 4 immense flag masts from cedar-wood.
Between the pylons are gateway jambs where Ramses II with
different gods can be seen. The Great Court front is formed by
the first pylon; the court’s name was wsekhet khefet-her and can
be translated as: “The Temple of Ramesses Meriamon united with
eternity”. The court has a parallelogram form, a depth of 57
meters and a width of 50.9 meters. |
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