# Did The Temple of Karnak Have A Roof?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-temple-of-karnak-have-a-roof/433678
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [January 16, 2008, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-temple-of-karnak-have-a-roof/433678 "2008-01-16T00:37:12Z")
**Posts on this page:** 8
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)
#### Post date: [January 16, 2008, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-temple-of-karnak-have-a-roof/433678/1 "2008-01-16T00:37:12Z")
I have always been fascinated by ancient Egypt, and the famous temple of Karnak. It is a massive structure, with massive columns. But, because the egyptians never invented the arch, their structures were simple-just post and lintels. The temple therefore has very little interior room-most of the space is taken up by columns. Was there ever a roof?-or was the temple open to the sky?
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### Author:  [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)
#### Post date: [January 16, 2008, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-temple-of-karnak-have-a-roof/433678/2 "2008-01-16T01:20:02Z")
Very interesting question, and I’ll look forward to seeing the answer from someone who knows more Egyptology than me.
My one offering towards the question is terminological: Ralph’s “Temple of Karnak” is pretty well established colloquial use for referring to it, but it’s actually the Great Temple of Amon-Ra at Thebes; Karnak is, technically, the name of the nearby village which gave its name to the ruins (Luxor, farther upstream [south] being similarly the ‘modern’ (19th century) village after which the palace area ruins were named.
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### Author:  [@APB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/APB)
#### Post date: [January 16, 2008, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-temple-of-karnak-have-a-roof/433678/3 "2008-01-16T16:08:45Z")
Yes, the usual assumption is that the bit of the temple of Amon-Re of which you’re thinking had a timber roof. Hence its conventional name - the Hypostyle Hall.
[This site](http://history.memphis.edu/hypostyle/index.htm) has some reconstructions.
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### Author:  [@TV\_time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TV_time)
#### Post date: [January 16, 2008, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-temple-of-karnak-have-a-roof/433678/4 "2008-01-16T21:29:38Z")
I had known it was roofed (it follows logicly because of the columns), but I had expected less gloominess with the celebration of Ra and all.
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### Author:  [@ratatoskK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratatoskK)
#### Post date: [January 17, 2008, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-temple-of-karnak-have-a-roof/433678/5 "2008-01-17T16:15:17Z")
**ABP** , are you sure the roof was timber? I couldn’t find the material mentioned on that site. I thought the roofs were stone, e.g. temples that still have a roof such as Abydos. The columns are very close together and the roof was made of stone slabs.
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### Author:  [@APB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/APB)
#### Post date: [January 17, 2008, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-temple-of-karnak-have-a-roof/433678/6 "2008-01-17T17:24:06Z")
[QUOTE=ratatoskK]
**ABP** , are you sure the roof was timber? I couldn’t find the material mentioned on that site. I thought the roofs were stone, e.g. temples that still have a roof such as Abydos. The columns are very close together and the roof was made of stone slabs.
[/QUOTE]
Fair point.
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### Author:  [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)
#### Post date: [January 17, 2008, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-temple-of-karnak-have-a-roof/433678/7 "2008-01-17T17:27:42Z")
Thanks-with that roof, must have been very dark inside-how did people see those magnificent carvings and inscriptions?
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### Author:  [@Key\_Lime\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Key_Lime_Guy)
#### Post date: [January 17, 2008, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-temple-of-karnak-have-a-roof/433678/8 "2008-01-17T18:04:07Z")
[QUOTE=ralph124c]
Thanks-with that roof, must have been very dark inside-how did people see those magnificent carvings and inscriptions?
[/QUOTE]
The roof had 2 levels & light came in through a clerestory.
Here’s a drawing: [http://www.gutenberg.org/files/14400/14400-h/images/fig073.png](http://www.gutenberg.org/files/14400/14400-h/images/fig073.png)