<Tr> <Th> Reference no . </Th> <Td> 87 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Region </Th> <Td> Arab States </Td> </Tr> <P> The Karnak Temple Complex, commonly known as Karnak (/ ˈkɑːr. næk /), comprises a vast mix of decayed temples, chapels, pylons, and other buildings . Construction at the complex began during the reign of Senusret I in the Middle Kingdom and continued into the Ptolemaic period, although most of the extant buildings date from the New Kingdom . The area around Karnak was the ancient Egyptian Ipet - isut ("The Most Selected of Places") and the main place of worship of the eighteenth dynasty Theban Triad with the god Amun as its head . It is part of the monumental city of Thebes . The Karnak complex gives its name to the nearby, and partly surrounded, modern village of El - Karnak, 2.5 kilometres (1.6 miles) north of Luxor . </P> <P> The complex is a vast open - air museum, and the second largest ancient religious site in the world, after the Angkor Wat Temple of Cambodia . It is believed to be the second most visited historical site in Egypt; only the Giza Pyramids near Cairo receive more visits . It consists of four main parts, of which only the largest is currently open to the general public . The term Karnak often is understood as being the Precinct of Amun - Ra only, because this is the only part most visitors see . The three other parts, the Precinct of Mut, the Precinct of Montu, and the dismantled Temple of Amenhotep IV, are closed to the public . There also are a few smaller temples and sanctuaries connecting the Precinct of Mut, the Precinct of Amun - Re, and the Luxor Temple . </P>

Who built the temple of amun at karnak