Sacred Lake

Related 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 Wall

Introduction

The rectangular sacred lake is located to the south of the Middle Kingdom court. Many types of buildings were located around the lake, indicating its vast array of functions. The edifice of Taharqo and the “Nilometer” are to the north, while a small chapel of Thoth existed to the west. To the east, priests lived or worked in administrative buildings dated from the 22nd Dynasty into the Ptolemaic Period. To the south, magazines and an aviary have been discovered.
Measurements: The lake measures 128m long and 83m wide.

Phases of Construction

Thutmose III

Thutmose III records digging a new sacred lake at the Amun-Ra temple. The lake may have replaced an earlier sacred lake located somewhere in the southern area of the temple. The lake was used during religious festivals for flotillas of sacred barks and for the daily enjoyment of the geese of Amun.

The lake as it is today was further modified by Taharqo, but what these modifications were and how vastly the lake changed remains unknown.

About the reconstruction model of Thutmose III

The shape of the lake is based on the ground plan of the temple by Carlotti (2001: pl. 1). The water on the model was placed at an arbitrary level. A double layer of blue/green color and a slight patterned texture were laid on the surface of the lake to approximate the color and slight movement of water.

Modern Site Photos

Documentation

Carlotti, Jean-François. (2001),L’Akh-menou de Thoutmosis III à Karnak : etude architecturale. Paris: Recherche sur les civilisations

Lauffray, Jean, Serge Sauneron and Ramadan Sa’ad. (1975),Fouilles à l’est du Lac Sacré. Karnak. Le Caire: Le Centre franco-Égyptien d’Étude des temples de Karnakvol. V , 26-30.

Lauffray, Jean, Serge Sauneron and Pierre Anus. (1969),Rapport sur les travaux de Karnak. Kêmi: revue de philologie et d’archéologie égyptiennes et coptes. Paris: P. Geuthnervol. 19 , 111-135.

Lauffray, Jean. (1995),Le rempart de Thoutmosis III à l est du Lac Sacré. Karnak. Le Caire: Le Centre Franco-Égyptien d’Étude des temples de Karnakvol. X , 257-300.

Goyon, Jean Claude and Claude Traunecker. (1982),la chapelle de thot et d’Amon au sud-ouest du lac sacré. Cahiers de Karnak. vol. VII , 355-364.