The Festival Hall of Thutmose III (''Akh-menu'') is an ancient shrine in
Luxor
Luxor ( ar, الأقصر, al-ʾuqṣur, lit=the palaces) is a modern city in Upper (southern) Egypt which includes the site of the Ancient Egyptian city of ''Thebes''.
Luxor has frequently been characterized as the "world's greatest open-a ...
(
Thebes),
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...
. It is located at the heart of the
Precinct of Amun-Re, in the
Karnak Temple Complex
The Karnak Temple Complex, commonly known as Karnak (, which was originally derived from ar, خورنق ''Khurnaq'' "fortified village"), comprises a vast mix of decayed temples, pylons, chapels, and other buildings near Luxor, Egypt. Construct ...
. The edifice is normally translated as "the most glorious of monuments", but "monument to living spirit" is an alternative translation since ''akh'' can mean either ''glory'' or ''blessed/living spirit'' (For instance,
Akhenaten
Akhenaten (pronounced ), also spelled Echnaton, Akhenaton, ( egy, ꜣḫ-n-jtn ''ʾŪḫə-nə-yātəy'', , meaning "Effective for the Aten"), was an ancient Egyptian pharaoh reigning or 1351–1334 BC, the tenth ruler of the Eighteenth Dy ...
is often translated as "living spirit of Aten").
The Festival Hall of Thutmose III is situated at the end of the
Middle Kingdom court, with its axis at right-angles to the main east–west axis of the temple. It was originally built to celebrate the jubilee (
Heb-Sed) of the
18th Dynasty pharaoh
Pharaoh (, ; Egyptian: ''pr ꜥꜣ''; cop, , Pǝrro; Biblical Hebrew: ''Parʿō'') is the vernacular term often used by modern authors for the kings of ancient Egypt who ruled as monarchs from the First Dynasty (c. 3150 BC) until the an ...
Thutmose III, and later became used as part of the annual
Opet Festival
The Opet Festival (the Beautiful Festival of Opet/Opeth/''heb nefer en Ipet'') was an annual Ancient Egyptian Festival celebrated in Thebes (Luxor), especially in the New Kingdom and later periods, during the second month of the season of Akhet ...
. It is seemingly decorated to echo a huge tent shrine, complete with awnings and tent poles. Located in this temple, the
Karnak king list shows Thutmose III with some of the earlier kings that built parts of the temple complex.
Layout
Built at the eastern end of Karnak's main axis, and enclosed in its own walls, this building is little understood and its exact purpose is still unclear. It consists of three main parts, a suite of rooms dedicated to
Sokar to the south-east, a solar complex to the north-east and the festival hall itself, from which the other areas of the building can be reached. This is known as the 'Hry-ib', or ''that which is at the heart of it''. The only original entrance was in the south-west corner. The walls contain the
Botanical garden of Thutmosis III
The Botanical garden of Thutmose III (french: Jardin botanique de Thoutmôsis III) is found in the temple of Amun- Re, and was constructed during the New Kingdom by Thutmose III
Thutmose III (variously also spelt Tuthmosis or Thothmes), so ...
.
Main hall
In a small room off of the main hall, there is a room referred to as the Chamber of Ancestors, where a large inscription, the
Karnak king list, shows Thutmose III making offerings to his 61 ancestors. The originals of these were removed and are now located in the
Louvre
The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...
in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
.
[Blyth (2006), p.73]
See also
*
List of lists of ancient kings
Lists of ancient kings are organized by region and peoples, and include kings recorded in ancient history (3000 BC – 1700 AD) and in mythology.
Southern Europe Greeks Historical
* Lists of rulers of Greece
* List of ancient Greek tyrants ...
References
Bibliography
*
*
*
{{Karnak Temple Navigation
Karnak temple complex
Thutmose III