The Precinct of Mut
The goddess Mut was the consort of Amun at Ipet-Isut. Her precinct was surrounded by a mudbrick wall, like the one around the main temple of Amun. The area is being excavated by the Brooklyn Museum and Detroit Insitute of Arts. The temple, which is mostly destroyed, is surrounded on three sides by a crescent-shaped lake, called the Isheru. The temple was built by Amehotep III but later kings added to it; Taharka and Nectanebo I are a few. There were two pylons with a narrow court between them and though the inner rooms are much ruined, they still yield good knowledge of the original shape and form of the temple. Within the precinct, on the western edge of the lake, is a small temple to Ramesses III, with some depictions on its outside of his military campaigns. Another, bigger structure is the temple of Khonsu-pa-khered (Khonsu the Child), the 'child' of the Karnak Triad of Amun, Mut and Khonsu. The structure still shows depictions of birth and circumcision scenes.

Just outside the wall are the remains of two structures; to the west the temple ot Amun-Kamutef (Bull of his mother), and to the east a small barque shrine from the time of Thutmose III and Hatshepsut. The ca 700 black granite statues of Sekhmet, wich were found here are thought to have been brought here by Amehotep III from his mortuary temple on the West Bank. Some of the statues are still within the precinct but many are now to be seen in museums all over the world.

Now we walk back to the precinct of Amun and the remaining structures there:

The Temple of Khonsu
lies in the southwest corner. It was begun by Ramesses III and finished by later rulers. The temple is a good example of a small New Kingdom Temple, there is an entrance pylon, built and decorated by Pinudjem I, there is a courtyard and a hypostyle hall decoreated by Herihor, the general who became a high priest at Ipet-Isut, and who usurped power from the last Ramesside kings. At the back of the temple is the barque shrine of Khonsu, and there are also stairs leading up on the roof to a small sun temple. Much material for this building was taken from other New Kingdom sturctures, which can be seen on blocks with unmatching decoration. There is a propylon gate in the enclosure wall, which leads to the avenue of rams that was used on festival days, going towards the precinct of Mut and Luxor.

The Opet Temple
lies directly beside the Khonsu temple, and was erected in the Greco-Roman period to the hippopotamus goddess Opet who helped women in childbirth. It has an unusual lay-out, was built by Ptolemy VIII and added to and decorated by later rulers. It had its own gateway through the enclosure wall of the precinct of Amun, which points at her cult having some importance in this time. There is a sanctuary and an offering hall with well preserved reliefs and there are also several crypts below ground and within the walls. The structure was also used for Amun and these served as a 'tomb' for Amun-Osiris. Ritual tools were kept here during the Festival of Resurrecting the God.

The Temple of Ptah
is situated across the first court of the great Amun temple, just by the enclosure wall and the portal which leads to the precinct of Montu. The inner parts were by Thutmose III and was later expanded by Shabaka and other Ptolemeian and Roman rulers. There are five gateways with depictions of kings wearing the double crown, through these you come to a small courtyard and a narrow transverse hall. Three shrines open to this, two of which are dedicated to Ptah and one to Hathor. Curiously enough, in her sanctuary is now a statue of Sekhmet, the consort of Ptah at Memphis. In the central sanctuary is a headless statue of Ptah.

On the nothern wall of the court is a relief where the King, Ptolemy IV offers a statuette of a "sphinx bearing the cosmetics" (damaged) to Ptah, who is seen holding the was, the ankh and the djed in his hands, and the counterpoise of his collar hangs down his back. Behind him is Hathor in a protective pose and with the ankh in one hand. Imhotep, son of Ptah, makes up the rear. Imhotep, who is known as the builder of the Step Pyramid of Djoser at Saqqara and as physician, became deified in the Ptolemaic Period and was merged with the Greek deity of healing, Asclepios.

The Temple of Montu
Just outside the enclosure wall of the precinct of Amun and behind the temple of Ptah, lies the precinct of Montu with its ruined temple. Here was once a sacred lake plus several smaller temples and shrines. Montu was the old falconheaded local god of Thebes and his temple was built by Amehotep III. As usual several later kings added and changed the building. It is oriented on a north-south axis, has its own propylon gate and ramheaded avenue of sphinxes. Along the eastern side of the temple, is a smaller temple of HarpaRe, (Horus the sun) son of Montu. Directly behind the temple of Montu and orientated in the opposite direction, is a small temple to Ma'at. This consists mainly of a small court and a hall with pillars behind. Outside the precinct of Montu are the remains of a small temple of Thutmose I and a very small chapel to Osiris.

The Open Air Museum
Just off the first court, if you turn left, and walk outside the courtyeard, there is the Open Air Museum. Here several chapels are being reconstructed and the place changes frequently. In the ancient days, kings used to dismantle his precessors´ chapels to make place for his own and used the material in the new construction. To the most renowned of these recosntructions are the Red Chapel of Hatshepsut, built of red and black granite, and the chapel of Senwosret I, with the most exquisite hieroglyphs.

Next article will take a look at the Luxor Temple and the Akhenaten Temple.

Sources: The Complete Temples of Ancient Egypt - Richard H. Wilkinson
Cultural Atlas of Ancient Egypt - John Baines & Jaromir Malek
Temples - Royal Divinities and Divine Kings, article in Äegypten, Die Welt Der Pharaonen - Regine Schultz & Hourig Sourozian