Village in Upper Egypt, which has given its name to the northern half of the ruins of Thebes (с 3200 BC) on the Nile's eastern bank.
Among its many religious buildings stood the largest of all Egyptian temples, the Temple of Amon . Itself a complex of temples, added to and altered many times, it reflects the fluctuating fortunes of the Egyptian empire. There are no fewer than 10 pylon s, separated by courts and halls. The most striking feature is the vast hypostyle hall built by Ramses I (14th century BC), with an area of 52,000 sq ft (4,850 sq m). Fourteen enormous columns, 78 ft (24 m) high, raised the roofing slabs of the central aisle to produce a clerestory .