Thebes
Emily Teeter on ThebesThebes is located on the Nile in southern Egypt, a site currently occupied by the towns of Luxor, Karnak, and Qurna. It became prominent when it was made the capital of Egypt during the Eleventh Dynasty. It was also the capital during most of the New Kingdom and was continually important as a cultural and religious center. The height of its religious importance came in the Twentieth and Twenty-first Dynasties when the high priests of the god Amun ruled Upper Egypt from Thebes, while the kings ruled Lower Egypt from Tanis.
Karnak
A massive ancient Egyptian complex was built in the area of Karnak in Thebes. Karnak is the largest religious complex in the world, covering eighty-six and one-half acres and incorporating the great temple of the god Amun which covers ten and a half acres. At Karnak, the University of Pennsylvania Museum sponsored the Akhenaten Temple Project from 1966 to 1972, which was taken over by the University of Toronto in 1972 and continues today.