GURDJIEFF VISITED EGYPT IN 1895, first working as a guide at the Giza Plateau outside Cairo, and then traveling up the Nile to Upper Egypt and into Ethiopia. He lived for a time in a tomb in the Valley of the Kings, the desert necropolis on the west bank of the Nile opposite the ancient Egyptian capital of Thebes, modern-day Luxor. Located just south of the city and considered the most remarkable religious complex ever built by man, Karnak's pylons, temples, chapels, obelisks, columns, statues and man-made lake are situated on 250 acres. Among its sites is the great hypostyle hall where 134 center columns are surrounded by more than 120 pillars. Stone slabs (now gone) served as the roof, with carved stone windows allowing light to penetrate the area. The Karnak King List, discovered on the site, contains the names of more than 60 of Egypt's ancient rulers. See the documentary video Gurdjieff in Egypt.