The White Chapel of Senusret I, also referred to as the Jubilee Chapel of Senusret I, was built during the Middle Kingdom of
A scarab as depicted in the White Chapel
Egypt. During the New Kingdom it was demolished and used as filler for the Third Pylon of the Temple of Karnak, Precinct of Amun-Re.
In 1927, the dismantled pieces were found inside the Third Pylon of the main temple, constructed in the time of Amenhotep III, at Thebes, and between 1927 and
Amun from the White Chapel
1930 all of the pieces were carefully removed. These pieces were then assembled into the building that is seen today in the Karnak Open Air Museum.
The White Chapel is made of a hard white rock called alabaster. Its columns hold reliefs of a very high quality, which are hardly seen elsewhere at Karnak, and
A bee as depicted in the White Chapel
depicts Pharaoh Senusret being crowned and embraced by Amun, Horus, Min and Ptah. All along the base of the outer walls runs a series of reliefs depicting the emblems and deities of the nomes, or provinces, of Egypt. On the western side are the nomes of Upper Egypt, and on the eastern side are the nomes of Lower Egypt.
The White Chapel
The White Chapel