Largest ancient Egyptian temple site

With the earliest signs of construction dating to c. 2112 BCE during the reign of Wahankh Intef II, the Karnak Temple Complex at Thebes (now Luxor) on the eastern shore of the River Nile was added to by various Egyptian ruling dynasties over nearly two millennia up until c. 204 BCE (the reign of Ptolemy IV). The site comprises numerous temples, shrines, pylons (gateways), obelisks, sculptures, relief carvings and even a sacred lake, all spread across an area of some 250 acres (101 hectares). The location upon which Karnak is sited was referred to as "Ipet-isut" ("most select of places").

Karnak’s most imposing structure is the Great Temple of Amun-Re, which began to be constructed c. 1971 BCE under the reign of Senusret I. Its 5,000‑m² (53,820‑sq‑ft) Hypostyle Hall retains its original 134 giant pillars; 12 of these, laid out in the centre of the hall, are the world's tallest load-bearing stone columns at 21 m (69 ft).

Karnak is one of the largest religious sites of any civilization worldwide, perhaps surpassed only by Angkor Wat (City Temple) in Cambodia. Built to the Hindu god Vishnu by the Khmer King Suryavarman II in the period 1113–50 CE, this holy temple site encompasses an area of some 401 acres (162.6 ha). Karnak is more than twice the size of the 109-acre (44-ha) Vatican City, or Holy See, in Rome, Italy, which is technically the world's smallest country.