Karnak Sacred Lake

The Karnak Sacred Lake or the Sacred Lake of Luxor is a man-made water reservoir, situated inside the Amun-re Precinct of the Karnak Temple. Believed to be the largest of its kind, it was orignally dug by the 18th Dynasty Pharaoh Tuthmosis III sometime between the 1473 and 1458 BCE, during the New Kingdom period. The lake was used by the priests for ritual washing and ritual navigation.

Overview

It remains one of the largest sacred lakes from ancient Egypt measuring approx 393 feet (120 meters) by 252 feet (77 meters) and reaches to an average depth of 4 meters. It was originally lined with stone wall and has stairways descending into the water. It was surrounded by storerooms and living quarters for the priests. There was also an aviary for aquatic birds. It is lined with stone and provided with stairways descending into the water. It was symbolically important in the ancient Egyptian's concept of creation, representing the primeval waters from which life arose.

During the reign of Taharqa (circa 690–664 BCE) a somewhat grand structure was built, on the northern edge of the Luxor Sacred Lake. However, it is simply refered to as the "Edifice of Taharqa", since the purpose or use is not known.

It was also home to the sacred geese of Amun (the goose being another symbol of Amun) and was a symbol of the primeval waters from which life arose in the ancient Egyptian’s idea of creation.

The lake served as a vital element in the daily rituals of the temple. Priests would use its waters for ablution before performing sacred duties, ensuring ritual purity. It also played a role in festival processions, particularly during the Opet Festival, when the statues of the gods were transported across the lake as part of the ceremonies.

During antiquity the water of the sacred lake was continuously cycled through the floods of the Nile. About 4,000 years ago the ancient Egyptians used this lake as a saint place. The priests were washing in the lake four to five times a day.

Hydrology and Organic Composition

circa 1450 BCE

The main source of water for the Luxor Lake is the Nile river, which acts as a source and drain for the lake's water reservoir. The water of the lake is polluted with organic sediment, mainly the green carrageen and thread germs, and the stationary water helps the foresees to grow which results in rotten smell of the water.

The average water level of the lake is about 3.7 meters at its deepest and 3.5 meters at both eastern and western ends. The total depth of the lake, however, ranges from a maximum of 3.95 meters to a minimum of 2.2 meters at varying points. The Luxor lake covers an area of about 3,200 square meters.

Up until the construction of the Aswan High Dam, the water of the Lake was cycled with the flooding of the Nile and remained fresh for the most part. However, after the dam's construction the underground water-level was raised, the lake was filled and the water became stagnant. After building the High Dam on the River Nile in Egypt, the sacred lake at Karnak Temple at Luxor City suffered from the concentration of salt and several organic reactions which had a negative effect on both the quality of the water and the air of the area.

Notable Archaeological Remains

circa 1450 BCE

Priestly Homes
On the sacred lake is also the remains of the priests' homes, these ruins are located on the eastern side of the lake, and have been the subject of excavations since the 1970s.

circa 1450 BCE

Granite Scarab of Amenhotep III
At the northern corner of the lake between it and the Osirian Temple of Taharqa was located a huge granite statue of a scarab dedicated by Amenhotep III and, according to A. Varille, brought from his West Bank mortuary temple. However, others believe that it actually came from Kom el-Heitan, where another funerary temple of Amenhotep III was built. The front face of the cylindrical pedestal on which the scarab rests has been flattened to form a stela, and is carved entirely in sunk relief.

Gallery

Notes

• A sacred lake is a body of water, either natural or man-made, that holds significant religious, spiritual, or ceremonial importance in a particular culture or belief system. Often located within or near temples, shrines, or holy sites, sacred lakes are considered symbols of purity, life, creation, and the divine. In the context of ancient Egypt or the Luxor Sacred Lake, it embodied eternal renewal, echoing the regenerative powers of the Nile. It was often associated with the mythological primeval ocean, believed to sustain life and the gods. The presence of sacred geese, considered messengers of the gods, added to its divine symbolism, and their movements on the water were thought to carry spiritual significance.

External Resources

• Google Maps Coordinates: 25°43'00.8"N 32°39'31.4"E
• Sacred Lake, Digital Karnak, University of California Santa Cruz, Accessed November 22, 2024.

See Also

• Triple Barque Shrine of Seti II
• Osireion / Osirion
• Precinct of Amun-re
• Karnak Open Air Museum
• Dendera Light
• Karnak Open Air Museum
• Karnak Temple Complex
• Pylons of the Amun-re Precinct
• Helicopter Hieroglyphs
• Bubastite Portal
• Great Hypostyle Hall of Karnak

References

• Karnak Temple Sacred Lake. (n.d.). Retrieved July 1, 2019, from https://discoveringegypt.com/karnak-temple/karnak-temple-sacred-lake/
• BROEKMAN, GERARD P. F. "THE LEADING THEBAN PRIESTS OF AMUN AND THEIR FAMILIES UNDER LIBYAN RULE." The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology, vol. 96, 2010, pp. 125–48. JSTOR. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.
• Carlotti, Jean-François. (2001), The Akh-menu of Thutmose III at Karnak: architectural study. Paris: Research on Civilizations
• Lauffray, Jean, Serge Sauneron and Ramadan Sa'ad. (1975), Excavations east of the Sacred Lake. Karnak. Cairo: The Franco-Egyptian Center for the Study of the Temples of Karnakvol. V , 26-30.
• A. F. Hamed, H. M. Shafik, and A. S. Shaaban, 2005, "Phytoplankton and benthic communities of a small water body (Sacred Lake, Karnak Temple) Luxor, Egypt". Excerpt. "The lake was shallow before 1985 and the floras of the lake had been monospecific cyanoprokaryote (Microcystis flos-aquae or Spirulina labyrinthiformis). In 1985 Nile water was circulated through the lake by the so-called French project. In 1993, the pumping of Nile water was stopped and the water became stored and not renewed again. The increase in the water level of the lake since 1985 followed by stopping the water circulation in 1993 have a negative impact, making the lake similar to a fishpond. Now, sixteen taxa of cyanobacteria and Chlorophyta were determined in the lake together with dense vegetation of the aquatic plant Potamogeton pectinatus L. during the two expeditions in April and October 1996. The presence of this diversified flora, especially the bad smell resulting from the growth of algae and aquatic plant has adverse effects on tourism. Restoration of the ancient picture of the lake is recommended and some suggestions were emphasised in this study. We would like to call attention for protection of the lake by continuous cleaning. This suggestion will help in restoring the lake to its ancient status."
• Lauffray, Jean, Serge Sauneron and Pierre Anus. (1969), Report on the works of Karnak. Kêmi: journal of Egyptian and Coptic philology and archaeology. Paris: P. Geuthnervol. 19 , 111-135.
• Lauffray, Jean. (1995), The rampart of Thutmose III to the east of the Sacred Lake. Karnak. Cairo: The Franco-Egyptian Center for the Study of the Temples of Karnakvol. X, 257-300.
• Goyon, Jean Claude and Claude Traunecker. (1982), The chapel of Thoth and Amon to the southwest of the sacred lake. Karnak Notebooks. vol. VII, 355-364.
• Cooney, Kathlyn M. "The Edifice of Taharqa by the Sacred Lake: Ritual Function and the Role of the King." Journal of the American Research Center in Egypt, vol. 37, 2000, pp. 15–47. JSTOR. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.
• Tour Egypt. (n.d.). Retrieved July 1, 2019, from http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/karnak14.htm
• A. Ismail et al., "Hydrogeophysical Investigation at Luxor, Southern Egypt," Journal of Environmental and Engineering Geophysics, vol. 10, no. 1, pp. 35-49, Environmental and Engineering Geophysical Society (EEGS), Mar 2005.