Karnak Temple is one of the largest religious complexes ever built. Construction began around 2055 BCE and continued across roughly two thousand years, with successive pharaohs adding courts, halls and monuments to the site. The Great Hypostyle Hall alone contains 134 massive columns, and the complex as a whole covers more than a hundred hectares on the east bank of the Nile. It was the principal temple of Amun and served as a center of religious and political power throughout much of ancient Egyptian history.

Winter mornings, when the sun is still low and the golden light rakes across the carvings at a sharp angle, offer the most dramatic version of this view in person.