Karnak is the ancient Egyptian temple complex commonly identified as the world’s largest ancient religious site. Located near modern Luxor, it is a vast collection of temples, pylons, chapels, obelisks and sacred precincts rather than a single building.
Construction began during the Middle Kingdom under Senusret I and continued for roughly two thousand years, through the Ptolemaic period. Many of the surviving monuments date from the New Kingdom, when Thebes was Egypt’s imperial capital and Karnak was the principal religious centre of Amun-Re.
The complex’s largest section is the Precinct of Amun-Re. Its Great Hypostyle Hall contains 134 columns, including twelve central columns about 20 metres high. Successive pharaohs expanded Karnak, leaving inscriptions that record royal victories, religious ceremonies and changing ideas about divine kingship.
Karnak is often confused with Luxor Temple, which stands nearby and was linked to Karnak by a ceremonial avenue. Karnak forms part of Ancient Thebes with its Necropolis, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1979.