Digital KarnakUniversity of California Santa Cruz
Digital KarnakRelated Features
Originally built by Thutmose III – 1479 BCE to 1425 BCE
Other works initiated by Thutmose III:
Akhmenu, Contra Temple, Wadjet Hall, 7th Pylon, Thutmose III Shrine, Enclosures and Gates, Sacred Lake, 6th Pylon and Court, 5th Pylon and Court, Obelisks of 7th Pylon, Station of the King and Corridor, Obelisks of Festival Hall Center Pair, Central Bark Shrine, Palace of Ma’at, Obelisks of Wadjet Hall, Pylon and Festival Court of Thutmose II, East Exterior WallIntroduction
This pair of obelisks originally stood between the obelisks of Thutmose I and Thutmose II in the Thutmose II “festival hall.”
Measurements: Neither obelisk exists today, but they probably stood about 30m high, like the other obelisks of Thutmose III.
Phases of Construction
Thutmose III
Thutmose III raised these obelisks to celebrate his jubilee (heb-sed) festival and to honor the god Amun-Ra.
Construction materials: rose granite
About the reconstruction model of Thutmose III
The original location of these obelisks is known from the location of their bases in the “festival hall” of Thutmose II. Their placement was made according to the plan of the temple published by Carlotti (2001: pl. 1).
Since the height of the original obelisks is unconfirmed, they were reconstructed based on the size of the other obelisks of the king at the Amun temple.
Documentation
Carlotti, Jean-François. (2001),L’Akh-menou de Thoutmosis III à Karnak : etude architecturale. Paris: Recherche sur les civilisations
Habachi, Labib and Charles Van Siclen. (1977),The obelisks of Egypt: skyscrapers of the past. Cairo: American University in Cairo Press