Jewels of Karnak - White Chapel and Red Chapel Screensaver

Jewels of Karnak - White Chapel and Red Chapel Screensaver contains 40 images of these two artistic wonders of ancient Egypt.

The White Chapel (circa 1950 B.C.) of Senwosret I and the Red Chapel (circa 1475 B.C.) of Hatshepsut, and her successor Tuthmosis III, are currently reconstructed in the Karnak Open Air Museum. The White Chapel is also referred to as the Jubilee Temple of Senwosret I. Both chapels are believed to be barque (boat) shrines. Although the chapels' reliefs are ancient, they are among the best preserved in Egypt, particularly the White Chapel. When the chapels were dismantled by later Pharoahs, the blocks were reused as interior building surfaces, protected from the elements, or sealed as filler within other structures at Karnak; thus accidentally preserving the beautiful quality of the original carvings.

In 1927 the dismantled pieces of the White Chapel were found inside the Third Pylon of the main temple, constructed in the time of Amenhotep III, at Karnak. Between 1927 and 1930 all of the pieces were carefully removed. These pieces were then assembled into the White Chapel building that is seen today.
The White Chapel is made of a hard white rock called alabaster. Its columns depict Pharaoh Senwosret being crowned and embraced by Amun, Horus, Min and Ptah. All along the base of the outer walls runs a series of reliefs depicting the Sepat (Nome) ensigns and deities. On the western side are the ones for Upper Egypt, and on the eastern are the ones for Lower Egypt.

Pieces of The Red Chapel were found during a period of eleven decades from 1888 to 1999 in various parts of the Karnak temple complex. However, 300 essential blocks were found in the Third Pylon, along with the White Chapel blocks. There is evidence in the architecture that the Red Chapel was prefabricated (pre-assembled on the ground), making it probably the oldest prefabricated stone structure in the world. Reconstruction of the Red Chapel in the Open Air Museum at Karnak began in 2000, and was completed in 2002. The chapel consists of two open courts and is approximately 18 meters long, 6 meters wide, and 5.5 meters high.

Its upper portion is made of red quartzite (hence the name); the foundation is built of black diorite. Black granite and grey diorite also were used in its construction. In the center of the first of three courts contained in the building, is a basin, probably used to hold a model of a barque. In the center of the inner court, two rectangular stone slabs mark places where statues or barques might have been placed.