The bottom of the column is bulbous, and set round with triangular leaves.

The top is surrounded by three or five bands.

A moulding composed of groups of three vertical stripes hangs like a fringe from the lowest band in the space between every two stems.

So varied a surface does not admit of hieroglyphic decoration; therefore the projections were by degrees suppressed, and the whole shaft was made smooth.

In the hypostyle hall at Gurneh, the shaft is divided in three parts, the middle one being smooth and covered with sculptures, while the upper and lower divisions are formed of clustered stems.