The
Karnak Temple Complex, commonly known as
Karnak (), comprises a vast mix of decayed
temples, chapels, pylons, and other buildings. Building at the complex began during the reign of
Senusret I in the
Middle Kingdom and continued into the
Ptolemaic period, although most of the extant buildings date from the
New Kingdom. The area around Karnak was the ancient Egyptian
Ipet-isut ("The Most Selected of Places") and the main place of worship of the eighteenth dynasty
Theban Triad with the god
Amun as its head. It is part of the monumental city of
Thebes. The Karnak complex gives its name to the nearby, and partly surrounded, modern village of El-Karnak, north of
Luxor.
