The first pylon (الصرح الاول) is the last to be built at Karnak and is the main entrance into the temple today. It was never completed and is undecorated; even the remains of the mud brick ramps, used to build it, can still be seen inside the great court.
The first pylon, the facade of the Amun-Re precinct with avenue of the sphinxes leading up to the entrance. Construction of the current pylon began in 30th dynasty, but was never totally completed. There are large numbers of mud bricks piled up against the inside of the 113m wide and 15m thick pylon. It was never completed and is undecorated; even the remains of the mud brick ramps, used to build, can still be seen inside the great court behind the north tower.
circa 360 BCE
Gateway
It was built by Nectanebo I (380-362 BCE) who also built the huge enclosure wall surrounding Karnak and some scholars believe that an earlier pylon may have stood on this same spot. Originally a monumental central gate would have fronted the western court, later destroyed by Nectanebo I’s construction of the huge first pylon. The central stone gate (left unfinished) probably was reused in Nectanebo’s later construction.
circa 360 BCE
North Tower
The north tower (right) is about 71 feet (21.70m), and the south tower (left) 103 feet (31.65m). If the structure had been completed it would probably reached a height of between 124 feet (38m) to 131 feet (40m). The barque Shrine of Seti II is located along inner side of the northern tower.
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The Madain Project is an online archive of Abrahamic History and Archaeology.
Abrahamic History & Archaeology is the study of history and archaeology with respect to the three Abrahamic Faiths without considering the religious and theological aspects. The goal of Abrahamic History is to understand how and why the religious doctrines and behaviours have evlovled and changed over time. Searching for patterns in the evolution of significant cultural events such as the development of farming, the emergence of cities, or the collapse of major civilizations for clues of why and how these have influenced the three major Abrahamic religions.
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