I paid $1 for this view of Karnak's Temple of Amun.

Warner makes friend in Karnak. Johnny Carson made Karnak famous, but his turban- wrapped soothsayer was nowhere near historically accurate. Karnak is a complex of sanctuaries, kiosks, pylons, obelisks, and temples dedicated to the Theban gods by the ruling pharaohs of Egypt's Middle Kingdom and New Kingdom.

The Temple to Amun at Karnak is the largest religious building ever built by man. It was built over hundreds of years more than 3,000 years ago. Compared to other structures built to worship gods such as Rome's Vatican, Paris' Notre Dame Cathedral, Cambodia's Angkor Wat, Greece's Parthenon, Jerusalem's Temple, and Mecca's Kaaba, this one is the Whopper. Surely, Amun and his wife, Mut, and son, Khonsu, were pleased with the home the Egyptians built for their sojourn on Earth.

The priests who directed the building of Karnak and controlled entrance into the afterlife were wealthy and powerful. They ruled 63 cities, commanded 81,000 workers, owned 421,000 cattle, 83 ships, and 691,000 acres of farmland. This is almost too much to comprehend.

These unfinished columns in the Temple of Amun show how the Egyptians built their columns. The one on the right was step one: place slabs of stone. The stones were carved, rounded, and polished as in the one on the left. The columns were then painted. Our guide, Mohamed Ali, led us from the dry quay that once hosted ships from the Nile down the Avenue of Sphinxes through the giant pylons (gates) into the Great Court where we gazed in wonder at massive colonnades, chapels with walls glowing with hieroglyphics and life scenes painted thousands of years ago.

The Great Hypostyle Hall, 5,500 square meters of 134 towering papyrus- shaped stone pillars, Ali said, was designed to draw the Nile into it every flood season. They believed this would refresh the gods as it refreshed the fields.

I split from the group and wandered alone trying to get a feeling of ancient Egypt. A tourist policeman signaled me to follow him beyond the rope blocking the Temple of Mut. I looked around and realized that the two of us and a donkey were the only beings in that area.

By studying the keypad of a pay phone in Egypt, one might learn Arabic numerals. The uniformed policeman gestured for me to climb up the tumble- down wall. Seeing no danger, I did it. From the top, I got a panoramic view of the entire Amun Temple enclosure. Ten clicks of my camera later, I slid down the rubble landing at the foot of the policeman. He held out his hand. "Baksheesh for photo!"

Knowing I had been taken, but appreciative of the opportunity, I slipped him a dollar just as another wandering tourist appeared. My man stuffed the dollar in his pocket, turned, and shuffled off toward his next prey.

My GPS read noon, March 6, 93 degrees, 330 feet altitude, and it was time to leave Karnak. Back at our hotel, Linda and I had hot dogs and Stella Beer. During lunch, she showed me two custom- made, silver cartouches she had bought for only $92. She got a deal.

(Next week:

Valleys of Kings and

Queens)