The Bab el-Amara Gate

This is a real-photo postcard (postmarked 1960) of the Bab el-Amara gate in the Karnak Temple Complex north of Luxor. The gate is located within the enclosure wall of Nectanebo I (reigned 379-361 BCE), south of the Khonsu Temple. To the south of the gate stood a sphinx-lined alleyway. The ceiling was decorated with a motif of flying vultures. The interior walls were covered with the hieroglyphic symbols for “all life, prosperity, and health,” a common wish for the pharaoh. A winged sun-disk adorned the center of the gate’s lintel.

The north face of the gate is covered with relief scenes of the king interacting with divinities. Nectanebo never finished the construction, so Ptolemy III Euergetes (reigned 246-222 BCE and married to Berenice II—remember her?) erected this huge stone gateway between the planned pylon towers. The gate was inscribed with texts and relief scenes mentioning the king. The gate is 69 feet high.