Editing Pylon (architecture) (section)

==Egyptian architecture==
{{Hiero|''Akhet'' 'horizon')|<hiero>N27</hiero>|align=right|era=egypt}} 
In [[ancient Egyptian religion]], the pylon mirrored the [[Egyptian hieroglyphs|hieroglyph]] [[akhet (hieroglyph and season)|''akhet'']] 'horizon', which was a depiction of two hills "between which the sun rose and set".<ref name="Wilkinson_195"/> Consequently, it played a critical role in the symbolic architecture of a building associated with the place of re-creation and rebirth.

[[File:Pylons and obelisk Luxor temple.JPG|thumb|left|The [[Luxor Temple]]]]
Pylons were often decorated with scenes emphasizing a king's authority since it was the public face of a building.<ref name="Wilkinson_195"/> On the first pylon of the temple of [[Isis]] at [[Philae]], the [[pharaoh]] is shown slaying his enemies while Isis, [[Horus]] and [[Hathor]] look on. Other examples of pylons can be seen in [[Karnak]], [[Luxor Temple]] and [[Edfu]]. Rituals to the god [[Amun]] were often carried out on the top of temple pylons. A pair of [[obelisks]] usually stood in front of a pylon.

In addition to standard vertical grooves on the exterior face of a pylon wall which were designed to hold flag poles, some pylons also contained internal stairways and rooms.<ref name="Wilkinson_195"/> The oldest intact pylons belong to mortuary temples from the [[New Kingdom of Egypt|Ramesside period]] in the 13th and 12th centuries BCE.<ref name="Wilkinson_195"/>