Digital KarnakUniversity of California Santa Cruz
Digital KarnakRelated Features
Originally built by Hatshepsut – 1479 BCE to 1458 BCE
Other works initiated by Hatshepsut:
Obelisks of Festival Hall West Pair, Palace of Ma’at, 8th Pylon, Amenhotep I Calcite Chapel, Obelisks at Contra Temple, Obelisks of Wadjet Hall, Wadjet Hall, Red Chapel, Pylon and Festival Court of Thutmose IIIntroduction
This pair of obelisks was located in the “festival court” of Thutmose II.
Measurements: The obelisks measured 27-28m in height, not including the base.
Phases of Construction
Hatshepsut
Thutmose II commissioned two obelisks for his newly constructed “festival hall,” to be placed just west of the standing obelisks of Thutmose I. The king died before workmen finished quarrying these obelisks. Queen Hatshepsut, the king’s wife, ordered that these be brought to Karnak and placed them in their intended spot.
Construction materials: rose granite
About the reconstruction model of Hatshepsut
Destruction: Amenhotep III
As part of his restructuring of the western entrance to the temple, Amenhotep III disassembled the pylon and “festival hall” of Thutmose II and erected a new pylon, the third. The placement of this pylon (slightly east of the earlier Thutmose II pylon) necessitated the removal of the western-most pair of obelisks in the hall. Their bases were enclosed within pylon III.
Documentation
Gabolde, Luc. (1987),à propos de deux obélisques de Thoutmosis II. Cahiers de Karnak. vol. VIII , 143-158.
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