The small town of Karnak is home to an estimated 20,000 residents and stands on the western bank of the River Nile. It is effectively a suburb of the city of Luxor, which lies approximately 2 kilometres to the south, and surrounds the vast and ancient ruins of the Karnak Temple for which the town is known.
The Karnak/Luxor area is considered to be Egypt’s second most popular tourist destination after the Pyramids of Giza, with visitors attracted to Karnak for the Great Temple of Amun which has taken the name of the original village and is simply referred to as the Karnak Temple. The Temple of Amun is however only part of the ‘Temples of Karnak Complex’ which is considered to be the largest ancient religious site in the world. Karnak was once part of the ancient city of Thebes, and is home to the northern half of the Thebes temple ruins, with the southern half being located in the present day city of Luxor. The two temple complexes were originally connected by the Avenue of Sphinxes which was used for ceremonial purposes.
Ancient Thebes consisted of two parts with the city of the living being located on the eastern banks of the river, whilst the city of the dead was located on the western banks of the river. Today the area of ancient Thebes, its ruins and necropolises are listed as a U.N.E.S.C.O. World Heritage Site. This area includes the Temples of Karnak and the Temple of Luxor which are located on the eastern banks of the River Nile, and the Valley of the Kings, the Valley of the Queens, the Colossi of Memnon, the Temple of Hatshepsut and the surrounding mortuary temples, which are located on the western banks of the River Nile.
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