The sacred lake of the temple of Amon. Karnak, Egypt

"The sacred lake of the Great Temple of Amun at Karnak has an area of almost 100,000sq. ft. The water from such sacred lakes was used in ritual purifications and the priests bathed in them at dawn before entering the temple. The sacred lake at Karnak also had a specific feature which allowed geese held in connected pens to emerge through a narrow tunnel on to the surface of the lake - symbolizing the role of the goose as a manifestation of Amun in original creation." [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, 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.