The precinct of Amon, Karnak, Egypt

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Object Details

Topic: Cultural landscapes; Monuments; Architecture -- Egypt; Aerial photography

See more items in: Eliot Elisofon Field collection; Eliot Elisofon Field collection / Egypt

Archival Repository: Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art

Collection Citation: Eliot Elisofon Field Collection, EEPA 1973-001, Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution

Collection Rights: Permission to reproduce images from the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives must be obtained in advance. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.

Scope and Contents: "The Great Temple of Amun, built along two axes, is a sprawling mass of ruined temple. It contains not only the Great Temple of Amun with its Festival temple of Tuthmosis (Thutmose) III, but also the Great Hypostile Hall, the kiosk of Taharqa, the chapel of Sethos (Seti) I, the temple of Ramesses (Ramses) III, the sacred lake, the Festival temple of Amenophis (Amenhotep) II, the temple of Ptah, and the Khonsu temple with its Opet temple." [Wilkinson R., 2000: The Complete Temples of Ancient Egypt. Thames and Hudson]. "A village on East bank of the Nile in Upper Egypt; with Luxor, Karnak is on the site of ancient Thebes; location of temple of Amen, considered one of the finest examples of early New Kingdom religious architecture; also has many Middle Kingdom remains." [The J.P.Getty Fund: Thesaurus of Geographic Names]. This photograph was taken when Eliot Elisofon was on assignment for American Institute of Architects, directing the Egyptian portion of the documentary on Ancient Egypt, March 1965 and September 1965.

Collection Restrictions: Use of original records requires an appointment. Contact Archives staff for more details.