It was probably originally positioned in the central court of the temple of Amun at Karnak, near Thebes. It might even have been situated between Hatshepsut's two obelisks though this is not certain. Behind it Hatshepsut erected several smaller chapels and the Chambers of Hatshepsut. The chapel consists of two open courts, and is approximately 18 metres long, 6 m wide and 5.5 m high. Its upper part is made of red quartzite (hence the name); the bottom part is of black diorite. In the center of the first of these courts is a basin, probably used to place the bark on. In the center of the inner court, two rectangular stone slabs mark places where statues or barks might have been placed.
Decoration
Destruction
The shrine was probably continued by Thutmosis III, but then dismantled by him at a later date. Some of the blocks were immediately reused in the shrine of Amun that was erected in the heart of Karnak temple. The remaining blocks ended up being used in other monuments throughout Karnak, for example in foundation of the temple of Ptah, in the 9th Pylon. Most of the blocks were used by Amenhotep III as rubble filling for the 3rd Pylon this meant that although hidden, they were perfectly preserved.
Reconstruction
In 1997 the chapel was partially reconstucted in the Open Air Museum at Karnak.
External links
- Chapelle Rouge - Archaeowiki.org
- Indepth article
- New item on the opening of the reconstruction
- The 'Red Chapel' rises again at Karnak
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Last updated on Saturday July 26, 2008 at 01:02:01 PDT (GMT -0700)
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