Related Features
Originally built by Shoshenq I – 945 BCE to 924 BCE
Other works initiated by Shoshenq I:
Western Processional Way, Bubastite Portal, Shoshenq I CourtIntroduction
The temple’s first court was located between the first and second pylons. A small doorway leading off of this court, between the Ramesses III Temple and the second pylon, is today known as the “Bubastite portal” (Bubastis was the home city of the king responsible for the construction of the doorway). Inside the court, two closed papyrus columns marked the portal.
Measurements: The door is just slightly less than 5m wide.
Phases of Construction
Shoshenq I
The exterior face of the “Bubastite portal” was marked by a series of relief scenes commemorating the great military victories of king Shoshenq I in Syro-Palestine. The scenes depict the king smiting his enemies while the god Amun and the goddess of Thebes hold cords that bind the hands and throats of the captives. One hundred fifty-six “name rings” (symbols of bound captives with the names of ancient towns or peoples inside) decorate the wall and act as a list of the tribes and towns Shoshenq I claims to have defeated.
Construction materials: sandstone
Photos
Documentation
Carlotti, Jean-François. (1995),Contribution à l’ étude métrologique de quelques monuments du temple d’Amon-Rê à Karnak. Cahiers de Karnak. vol. X , 65-127.
Carlotti, Jean-François. (2001),L’Akh-menou de Thoutmosis III à Karnak : etude architecturale. Paris: Recherche sur les civilisations
University of Chicago Oriental Institute Epigraphic Survey. (1954),Reliefs and inscriptions at Karnak: The Bubastite portal. The University of Chicago Oriental Institute Publications. Chicago: University of Chicago Pressvol. III