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The Karnak Temple Complex

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Mortuary Temple of Queen Hatshepsut. West Bank, Luxor, Nile Valley, Egypt

Karnak Temple is a vast open-air museum, it’s the largest temple all over the world. No site in Egypt is more impressive than Karnak. It’s not just one temple but three temples within each other, dedicated to the god Amun Ra, his wife goddess Mut, and their son god Khnsu.

This huge temple complex was the biggest cult center at Thebes (modern-day Luxor) during the time of the new kingdom 18th dynasty in 1500 BC. It took the ancient Egyptians more than 2000 years to build this temple, more than 30 kings contributed to the building each of them added something to satisfy the “Amun Ra” and that’s how it became the largest of the Egyptian temples.

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The scarabs, dung beetles, were associated with the theology of the ancient Egyptians and represented their sacred beliefs. They belong to the family of Scarabaeidae and performed the earthly presence of the sun god Ra in their worldview of life and its evolution. Their connection with the sun god lies in the fact of the sight of the beetle rolling a ball of manure in order to eat, also by this to lay his eggs that would transform into a larva, identical to Ra's actions in the celestial dome for the purpose of transporting bodies and spirits.
It is understood that the ancient Egyptians of the countryside saw the beetle appear from the ground dragging a ball of manure which was exposed under the sun to dry, while soon the larva would be emerged from this wet sphere. This move was considered a symbolic depiction of the intention of the solar god Ra to create a sunny day and was associated with the achievement of good luck to people, who were destined to receive a corresponding bliss and rebirth.
It is a statue very popular since antiquity, as one of the three manifestations of the solar god Ra and a symbol of good luck. This view is still valid and for this reason tourists are encouraged by tour guides to make a circular walk around the statue in order to achieve good luck and success in their lives.

Statue of scarab beetle in Karnak temple. Luxor, Egypt

A tourist is walking past a statue of a scarab beetle at the Karnak Temple in Luxor, Egypt.