Bubastis Portal

LuxorEgypt 25° N · 32° E Updated Aug 2026

The Bubastis Portal at Karnak records Shoshenq I's Levantine campaign with over 150 town name-rings, but the one name many pilgrims seek—Jerusalem—is missing.

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Bubastis Portal Photo: Olaf Tausch · CC BY 3.0
Time needed
20-30 minutes
Entry
Included with Karnak Temple Complex entry
Access
Uneven sandstone paving; limited wheelchair access

Why does Egypt's most famous biblical victory wall never once mention Jerusalem? The Bubastis Portal in Luxor, Egypt — a sandstone gate wedged into the south-east corner of the Precinct of Amun-Re at Karnak Temple Complex — draws biblical pilgrims and hard-nosed epigraphers to the same cramped patch of stone. Its rows of captive name-rings seem to promise harder evidence than any prayer book. That promise is partly a trap.

By late afternoon the relief glows like burnt honey. The carved figure of Shoshenq I is smaller than most visitors expect; the real force is the dense grid of name-rings spreading around him. Most people photograph the wall and leave before noticing the second story scratched across it a century later.

The gate was never a lone victory monument. Records show Shoshenq I commissioned it around Year 21 of his reign, confirmed by a sandstone quarry stela at Gebel el-Silsilah signed by the master of works Haremsaf. It was the ceremonial southern entry to a festival court, not an afterthought to a raid.

So come for the biblical mystery. Stay for the civil-war diary carved directly over it. The portal does not confirm the story most people want; it tells a stranger, messier one.

Researched by the Audiala editorial team from historical records, architectural archives, and local expertise.

What to see

  1. The Smiting Scene of Shoshenq I

    Stand in the narrow gap between the Second Pylon and Ramesses III's temple just after 7am, and the low raking light gouges black shadows into Shoshenq I's upraised mace. The pharaoh grips a knot of kneeling Levantine captives by the hair while Amun-Re extends a curved khopesh of victory. Most tours rush past this southeast corner of the Karnak Temple Complex, so the only sounds are pigeon wings clattering in the cornice niches. That silence is a gift — the carved sandstone, quarried at Gebel el-Silsilah, shifts from chalky ochre to honey-gold as the sun climbs.

  2. The Name-Rings of a Biblical War

    Run your eyes along the lower third of the portal and you'll find over 150 crenellated ovals, each one a conquered settlement from Shoshenq I's Levantine campaign around 925 BCE. Megiddo, Taanach, Beth-Shean, Gibeon — they hang like a stone tapestry of bound captives, their elbows lashed behind them with carved ropes. One damaged oval may be the earliest extrabiblical mention of the 'Field of Abram,' though scholars still argue over the reading. Bring binoculars or stand close enough to feel the coarse, crystalline chisel cuts; this is the biblical Shishak made visible.

  3. The Southern Escape Route

    Slip through the Bubastis Portal and keep walking south, away from the tour groups funneling into the Great Hypostyle Hall. The temperature drops the moment you leave the open forecourt; the high masonry traps a mineral coolness until mid-morning. Follow the processional axis toward the Temple of Khonsu, where the crowds thin to almost nothing and you can sit on low stone blocks between Ramesses III's wall and the Second Pylon. From here, the portal frames the open courtyard back north — a view that hasn't changed much since the 10th century BCE.

Plan your visit

Getting There
From Luxor Temple, walk the restored 2.7 km Avenue of Sphinxes north to Karnak's entrance plaza (about 35 minutes). White microbuses behind Luxor Railway Station run to Karnak for under EGP 10, or take a 10-minute Careem/taxi to the visitor center parking lot.
Opening Hours
Karnak opens daily 06:00–17:00 as of 2026, with last entry at 16:00. The portal closes with the rest of the complex; evening Sound and Light Show access doesn't include standard visits to the relief.
Time Needed
Give the portal itself 15–30 minutes to study Shoshenq I's smiting scene and the 150+ city rings. A highlights loop through Karnak's forecourt and hypostyle hall takes 90 minutes; a full complex visit runs 2.5–4 hours.
Accessibility
Ramps lead through the main entry axis into the First Court, and the portal sits on flat ground, making it one of Karnak's easier major reliefs to reach. Manual wheelchair users may need help over loose sand patches and raised stone thresholds.
Cost/Tickets
Entry is included in the Karnak ticket: EGP 600 for foreign adults, EGP 300 for foreign students with ISIC, EGP 40 for Egyptians, free under 6 as of 2026. Counters are card-only; buying online at egymonuments.com skips ticket-booth queues.

History

The Gate That Forgot Jerusalem

Shoshenq I founded the 22nd Dynasty around 943 BCE as a Meshwesh chief from Bubastis in the Nile Delta. In his second decade he ordered a monumental gate at Karnak, right where visitors now pause between the Second Pylon and the Temple of Ramesses III. The wall was to celebrate his Levantine campaign — the one many Egyptologists identify with the biblical Shishak.

But the portal kept being reused. A century after Shoshenq, Prince Osorkon turned the same surface into a public legal record. The result is no ordinary war memorial; it is a lapidary archive of dynastic pride and priestly score-settling.

The turning point

The Prince Who Used a Victory Wall as a Courtroom

The story most visitors absorb is easy to accept. Pharaoh Shoshenq I smites Levantine enemies, and more than 150 name-rings record what he conquered. Guides point to the figure of Shishak and read aloud from 1 Kings 14. For a moment, the Bible and the stone agree.

But look higher. A second layer of smaller, denser hieroglyphs cuts across the wall, carved nearly a century later. It does not glorify a pharaoh. It narrates expulsions, sieges, debt cancellations, and a burning. Why would a priest dare overwrite a king's monument?

The priest was Prince Osorkon, son of Pharaoh Takelot II and High Priest of Amun at Thebes. Theban factions had driven him out more than once; each time, his legitimacy and his life hung on retaking Karnak. When he returned with troops from Lower Egypt around 839 BCE, the Chronicle records that rebel ringleaders were burned alive at the gate — a rare and deliberate erasure of their afterlife. This was not decoration. It was jurisdiction, carved where every pilgrim and priest would have to see it.

Now the wall reads as two monuments set a century apart. Shoshenq's campaign list flatters a pharaoh; Osorkon's cramped text reads like a legal diary etched over a wound. Both men used the same stone to argue with the city.

Why Jerusalem Is Missing

The biblical Shishak is said to attack Jerusalem in 1 Kings 14, but the surviving name-rings concentrate on Megiddo, Beth-Shean, Taanach, and the Negev — not Jerusalem. Scholars debate whether the city was omitted because Rehoboam paid tribute, or whether its name-ring was lost in the eroded lower rows. What remains is a campaign aimed at trade routes and the Northern Kingdom, not a simple sack of Solomon's Temple.

The Cartouche at the Top

High in the upper rows, Toponym No. 5 has been read by some early epigraphers as the 'Field of Abram' — a possible extra-biblical whisper of the patriarchal name in the Negev. Most visitors never look that far above Shoshenq's figure. The reading remains contested, but it has pinned this wall to biblical archaeology debates since Champollion deciphered the cartouches in 1828.

Tips for visitors

  • Cover Up, Hands Off

    Karnak isn't a mosque, but Upper Egyptian norms still apply: keep shoulders and knees covered. Never trace or lean on the carved cartouches—finger oils speed up sandstone decay.

  • Skip the Flash

    Handheld photos and phones are fine, but flash is banned on painted and relief surfaces. Tripods and monopods need advance Ministry permits; drones are confiscated at Egyptian airports.

  • Baksheesh at the Wall

    Unofficial 'specialist guides' in the First Court may point at Shoshenq's cartouche, then demand large tips. A firm 'La, shukran' ends it; agree on taxi or hantour fares before boarding.

  • Raking Light, No Shade

    Arrive at opening to catch low raking light across the sunk reliefs—and to beat the 11:00–15:00 heat. The forecourt has zero overhead shade, so bring a hat and high-SPF sunscreen.

  • Pair It With the Open-Air Museum

    The portal sits at the southeast corner of the First Court. From here, walk northwest to the Open-Air Museum's White Chapel and Red Chapel, or south toward the Temple of Khonsu.

  • One Ticket Covers It

    Don't pay anyone selling a separate 'portal ticket'—it's included in standard Karnak entry. Buy online in advance to skip the card-only counter line.

Frequently asked

Is the Bubastis Portal worth visiting?

Yes, especially if biblical names or Third Intermediate Period politics interest you. Shoshenq I—the biblical Shishak—boasted over 150 conquered Levantine towns here around 925 BCE. Most tours hurry past toward the Great Hypostyle Hall, so you'll likely stand alone before the smiting scene and the captive name-rings.

How long do you need at the Bubastis Portal?

Fifteen to thirty minutes covers the smiting scene, the name-rings, and Champollion's cartouche. For Karnak overall, allow 90 minutes for a highlights circuit or 2.5 to 4 hours to explore properly. Low morning light helps the sunk relief read clearly.

How do I get to the Bubastis Portal from Luxor?

Walk the 2.7 km Avenue of Sphinxes north from Luxor to Karnak, or grab a taxi or white minibus to the Karnak visitor center. Once inside, find the Great Forecourt; the portal is wedged in the southeast corner between the Temple of Ramesses III and the Second Pylon. Flat, compacted ground makes it one of the more accessible reliefs in Karnak.

What is the best time to visit the Bubastis Portal?

Get there between 06:00 and 08:30, when raking sun carves black shadows into the sunk relief and the stone still holds the night's cool. Midday flattens the hieroglyphs and turns the sandstone into a heat sink. Winter mornings are pleasant but aim for 07:30 before tour buses swarm.

Can you visit the Bubastis Portal for free?

No—but it's included in the general Karnak ticket, so there's no separate charge. Foreign adults pay EGP 600, foreign students EGP 300; the last entry is 16:00 and counters are card-only. Egyptian citizens pay EGP 40, students EGP 20.

What should I not miss at the Bubastis Portal?

Look for the name-rings of Megiddo, Taanach, and Beth-Shean, plus the 'Field of Abram' cartouche in Row I. Don't skip the smiting scene: Shoshenq grips captives by the hair while Amun-Re offers him a curved khopesh. And study the masonry seam where 22nd-Dynasty blocks were cut to wrap over the older Temple of Ramesses III—an ancient lap joint in stone.

What is the Bubastis Portal famous for?

It's the Egyptian wall most tightly linked to the biblical Shishak's campaign. Champollion deciphered Shoshenq I's cartouche here in 1828, matching the relief to 1 Kings 14 and 2 Chronicles 12. The portal also carries the Chronicle of Prince Osorkon, a rare political diary of Theban rebellion, ritual executions by fire, and a lunar eclipse.

Sources & attribution 29

Researched and written by the Audiala editorial team from historical records, architectural archives, and local expertise. Last updated August 2026.

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Photo credits (14)
  1. Jeremy Zero — Unsplash License (https://unsplash.com/license) — Source: https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1568605117036-5fe5e7bab0b7
  2. Karnak Tempel Vorhof 16 — Olaf Tausch — CC BY 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/) — Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Karnak_Tempel_Vorhof_16.JPG
  3. By ovedc - Karnak temple complex - 80 — Ovedc — CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) — Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:By_ovedc_-_Karnak_temple_complex_-_80.jpg
  4. File by Alexander Baranov - . (6182061867) — Alexander Baranov from Montpellier, France — CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/) — Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:File_by_Alexander_Baranov_-_._(6182061867).jpg
  5. Bubastis portal at Karnak — Markh at English Wikipedia — CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/) — Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bubastis_portal_at_Karnak.jpg
  6. Flickr - Gaspa - Tempio di Karnak, ruderi — Francesco Gasparetti from Senigallia, Italy — CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/) — Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Flickr_-_Gaspa_-_Tempio_di_Karnak,_ruderi.jpg
  7. File by Alexander Baranov - . (6182518744) — Alexander Baranov from Montpellier, France — CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/) — Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:File_by_Alexander_Baranov_-_._(6182518744).jpg
  8. Karnak R18 — Marc Ryckaert — CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) — Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Karnak_R18.jpg
  9. Karnak Sheshonq I — Neithsabes — CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/) — Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Karnak_Sheshonq_I.jpg
  10. Karnak Tempel Bubastis-Portal 01 — Olaf Tausch — CC BY 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/) — Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Karnak_Tempel_Bubastis-Portal_01.JPG
  11. Karnak Tempel Bubastis-Portal 02 — Olaf Tausch — CC BY 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/) — Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Karnak_Tempel_Bubastis-Portal_02.JPG
  12. Karnak Tempel Bubastis-Portal 03 — Olaf Tausch — CC BY 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/) — Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Karnak_Tempel_Bubastis-Portal_03.jpg
  13. Karnak Tempel Mauer Ramses’ II. 01 — Olaf Tausch — CC BY 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/) — Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Karnak_Tempel_Mauer_Ramses’_II._01.jpg
  14. Karnak Tempel Mauer Ramses’ II. 02 — Olaf Tausch — CC BY 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/) — Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Karnak_Tempel_Mauer_Ramses’_II._02.jpg

Photos may have been resized or cropped.