This earlier temple was built during the Middle Kingdom (2055-1650 BC) by Theban rulers who had reunited Egypt under their rule after a period of internal disorder in the country. Even this Middle Kingdom temple was built on an already sacred site, although only fragments of the earlier structure have survived. The heart of the temple was the sanctuary of the god Amun and this was rebuilt, probably directly over the earlier site, by Hatshepsut and Thutmose III. No traces of the earlier structure have been found, but we do know that the stone from earlier buildings was often used as infill for the later structures, so some of the blocks may lie deep within the buildings we see today.

As the temple was extended towards the river, large new gateways or pylons were built. Amenhotep III built one such pylon and an earlier structure, a small barque chapel dating from the Middle Kingdom which had probably lain outside the earlier temple, blocked the way. The chapel was demolished, and the blocks used as foundations and infill in the huge new pylon. Over the centuries, earthquakes, erosion and stone robbers have damaged many of the pylons, and Amenhotep III’s was in a poor state of preservation when the decision was taken to conserve the blocks and make the structure safe. It was then that the earlier core blocks were discovered. It was found that the re-discovered chapel had been built by Senusret I (1965-1920 BC) and were of the finest limestone, carved with exquisite reliefs and hieroglyphs.

The blocks were carefully removed when it became apparent that virtually the whole of the earlier structure had been preserved. The demolition had been carefully done and the blocks were in almost pristine condition. This unusual care may well have been because the blocks came from a sanctified building. It was not difficult, therefore, to work out the nature of the building they had come from, and once the building had been reconstructed on paper, it was only a short step to reconstructing it in reality.

The splendid small chapel (known because of the colour of the stone as the White Chapel) now stands in an area of Karnak known as the Open-Air Museum, to the left of the first court. The White Chapel is the oldest complete structure to be found at Karnak, and one of the best-preserved and rarest of Middle Kingdom buildings to survive.

The reliefs that cover the walls and pillars show Senusret before the gods, mainly Amun and Min. Carved in high bas-relief, the detail on the carvings is superb and the building has some of the best-carved hieroglyphs to be found in Egypt today. The Open Air Museum is well worth a visit and is often overlooked by many visitors. In addition to the White Chapel, a number of other reconstructed shrines are located there (including Hatshepsut’s Red Chapel) It requires a separate entrance ticket.