Festival Hall of Thutmose III, Religious monument in Karnak Temple Complex, Egypt
The Festival Hall of Thutmose III is a temple building within the Karnak temple complex in Luxor, Egypt, made up of a central festival hall, a solar complex, and several side chambers. The main hall has columns shaped to resemble tent poles, which gives the space a distinctive look compared to other parts of Karnak.
The hall was built in the 15th century BCE by Pharaoh Thutmose III and was first used for royal jubilee celebrations known as Sed festivals. In later centuries, Christian monks used part of the building as a church and left their own paintings on the walls.
The so-called Botanical Chamber shows wall reliefs of plants and animals that Thutmose III reportedly brought back from his military campaigns. Visitors can see these carvings on the walls of a small side room toward the back of the building.
The entrance is at the southwest corner of the building and leads directly into the central hall. Some of the side rooms are dim, so bringing a small flashlight makes it easier to see the wall reliefs clearly.
The Chamber of Ancestors once held a list of 61 earlier rulers honored by Thutmose III, but the original tablets were removed in the 19th century and are now in the Louvre in Paris. What visitors see today on the walls are casts made before the tablets were taken away.
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