Raised relief on pillar. Karnak, Egypt

"Temple decoration was carved in both raised (bas) and sunk (en creux) relief. The more time-consuming raised relief was often reserved for inner surfaces, while incised carving was often used on outer surfaces where shadows helped define its forms in bright sunlight." [Wilkinson R., 2000: The Complete Temples of Ancient Egypt. Thames and Hudson]. "A village on East bank of the Nile in Upper Egypt; with Luxor, Karnak is on the site of ancient Thebes; location of temple of Amen (Amun), considered one of the finest examples of early New Kingdom religious architecture; also has many Middle Kingdom remains." [The J.P.Getty Fund: Thesaurus of Geographic Names]. This photograph was taken when Eliot Elisofon was on assignment for American Institute of Architects, directing the Egyptian portion of the documentary on Ancient Egypt, March 1965 and September 1965.