Columns of a hypostyle temple, Thebes, photographed by Maison Bonfils, circa 1867-1885. The Great Hypostyle Hall of Karnak, located within the Karnak temple complex, in the Precinct of Amon-Re, is one of the most visited monuments of Ancient Egypt. The Karnak Temple Complex comprises a vast mix of decayed temples, chapels, pylons, and other buildings. Building at the complex began during the reign of Senusret I in the Middle Kingdom and continued into the Ptolemaic period, although most of the extant buildings date from the New Kingdom. The area around Karnak was the ancient Egyptian Ipet-isut (The Most Selected of Places) and the main place of worship of the eighteenth dynasty Theban Triad with the god Amun as its head. It is part of the monumental city of Thebes. The complex is a vast open-air museum and the largest ancient religious site in the world. F矇lix Bonfils (March 8, 1831 - 1885) was a French photographer and writer who was active in the Middle East. He moved his family to Beirut in 1867 where they opened a photographic studio called "Maison Bonfils".