Karnak Temple entrance — the avenue of ram-headed sphinxes. They also had another avenue of sphinxes that ran 3km to the Luxor Temple.

The Great Hypostyle hall, one huge column after another.

The tops of the columns, you can just see the color. They say that the whole thing was brightly painted and roofed in.

Scene on the side of the wall. Every available surface of most temples and tombs I have seen are decorated. For the temples, many have to do with the brave exploits of whichever Pharaoh commissioned the work, or their divinity.

Egypt’s largest obelisk — almost 30m high.

Restoration work being done.

Walk around this scarab beetle for good luck.

Karnak

Sekhment, goddess of terror. This outlying temple of Ptah is _locked_ and the guards will _unlock_ it for you for a small donation.

One could spend all day making fun of tourist’s outfits. I was really trying to get the woman in the middle that had on hotpants and tiny shirt that looked terrible, she shouldn’t wear it at home, let alone a Muslim country.

Looking across the Nile to the Valley of Kings

Luxor Temple – the ancient and the modern.

Luxor Temple — the other obelisk of this set is in the Place de Concorde in Paris.