Men-Kheperu-Re (approx. 1401-1391) was not a great builder Pharaoh, unlike those before him, queen Hatchepsut and his grand father Thutmosis III, or like his son Amenhotep III, after him. This can be linked to the relative briefness of his reign, estimated at 9 years and 8 months
To know some more about the king, see the Web site of Marianne Luban in the bibliography.

THE COURTYARD

One of the few monuments of the king for which traces are preserved, is a peristyle courtyard with porticos, which he had erected before the 4th pylon of Ipet-Sut (Karnak).
For years, the remains, in the form of blocks of limestone, lay scattered around in the area of the "Open-air Museum".
The location and disposition of the courtyard under the successive reigns, remained an open debate.
Thanks to the work of the Franco-Egyptian Centre at Karnak, this monument is now extensively restored, in its original measurements and proportions.

Besides its historic and architectural interest, the present courtyard has magnificently engraved walls.
The walls are decorated with representations in both hollow and raised relief, which attests to the mastery which the Theban craftsmen of the 18th Dynasty had acquired, which will reach its peak during the following reign.
The courtyard remained in place for only a very short time, since the son and successor of Thutmosis IV, Amenhotep III, had it dismantled to be able to achieve his own architectural program. The blocks were then used as infill for the 3rd pylon during the course of its construction.
The restoration of the walls - to their original height - is well advanced. The reassembly of the pillars of square section and made of sandstone should follow. On the other hand, the unavoidable fragmentary character of their restoration will probably not allow the reinstallation of the original heavy architraves.

THE DECOR

As has been highlighted, it will be of a very high cost.
The king is represented alone, or associated with the gods. Exceptionally, his mother, queen Tiaa, is sometimes represented. It is possible to conclude that the courtyard had been built in the days of the king's minority, but this is not certain.
Among the gods who accompany Thutmosis IV, one finds of course, well placed, Amon. But however, and strangely for Karnak, the gods with a sun connotation are very present.

Remember that the young prince Thutmosis was obviously not intended to reign since one or several older brothers existed. The famous "Dream Stela" - which the king had erected between the paws of the sphinx - tells us how he had been chosen by the sphinx, hypostase of the god Hor-em-akhet-Khepri (Re-Harmachis to the Greeks), who is the personification par excellence of the sun god.
This divine choice to designate the successor of Amenhotep II was therefore not initially made by Amon, and one finds here an obvious proof of the increasing distrust which the kings of the 18th Dynasty had towards the Theban dynastic god and his all too powerful clergy.