Select Page

7th Pylon & the Cachette Court

Precinct of Amun Ra - Karnak Temple - Theban Temples

Ipet Sut, “Most Select of Places”

The Precinct of Amun Ra

7th Pylon

Built for Pharaoh Tuthmose III, the remains of his own Colossi can be located here. The Reliefs on the Pylon itself are of Pharaoh holding the hair of his enemies in order to project him winning his Military Campaigns in what is today Palestine, Lebanon and Syria. The hieroglyphs list the towns which he conquered during his early campaigns in Palestine, and those which he took later in his reign in Lebanon and Syria.

 

Cachette Court

This Court is the one which is closer to the Hypostyle Hall and main area of the Precinct of Amun Ra than the 7th Pylon. Discovered here in 1903 were approx. 1,000 Statues and Stelae’s which are now generally found in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. This gives the “First Court” its name as it is a huge haul of findings, literally a Cache.

These items are thought to have been deposited here as almost a storage area after the Temple was given them as votive offerings by the populace who wished their deceased to be remembered and prayed for in their Afterlife.

 

The Decorated Reliefs shown on the Western Wall
If entering the Court from the back to the Hypostyle Hall, we are discussing the Wall to your right, or when looking at the image to the left, we are discussing the vertical Wall on the left.

The Reliefs here were commissioned by Pharaoh Merneptah, Pharaoh Ramses II’s son and successor, some overwriting those of his father. This is known by the presence of his Cartouche although many of these were later usurped by his son and successor, Pharaoh Seti II. It appears to be that Pharaoh Merneptah wished to continue the tradition begun by his Father and Grandfather on the exterior Walls of the Hypostyle Hall, by recording his own victorious Military Campaigns here.

The Reliefs depict:

  • Pharaoh Merneptah attacking a fortified settlement on foot
  • Pharaoh Merneptah attacking a fortified settlement by chariot
  • Pharaoh Merneptah attacks Ashkelon
  • Pharaoh Merneptah attacks a group of soldiers who have Asiatic features
  • Pharaoh Merneptah defeats the Shasi Bedouin and claims them as prisoners and it appears that these would have then been offered to the God Amun Ra, unfortunaty this portion of the scene seems to have been lost

My Plan of Karnak Temple

error

Enjoying this Website? Please spread the word :)

Instagram