Edfu
We were out of the ship by 6:30 am, and on our way to Edfu temple on a horse carriage. Built in the Ptolemaic Kingdom between 237 and 57 BC, the temple of Edfu is the largest temple dedicated to the falcon god Horus and one of the best preserved. 200 years ago, this temple was buried in sand and rubble but fully excavated today.
The temple of Edfu maintains the classical structure of the Greco-Roman period, beginning with the pylon, followed by a courtyard, hypostyle hall, antechambers and finally the Sanctuary.
Pylon: The Grand temple entrance displaying relief of Neos Dionysos (Ptolemy XII) holding his enemies by the hair, ready to smite them in front of Horus, is a fittingly bloody show of pharaonic strength intended to awe his Egyptian subjects as they entered. At the entrance are 2 granite statues of the falcon-headed god Horus
Edfu – The pair of granite statues of the falcon god Horus at the entrance. The small person between the legs of Horus is Caesarion, the son of Cleopatra and Julius Caesar.
Forecourt: Also called the Court of Offerings, the colossal courtyard surrounded on three sides by 32 towering columns, would originally have had a great altar in the center, where the temple priests made offerings to Edfu’s gods surrounded by the town people. The columns are richly decorated with floral and palm capitals, and the golden-hued stone walls are covered in reliefs of the gods Horus and Hathor.
One of the most notable features of the Court is its festival relief, which is found on the inner walls of the pylon and continues along the bottom of the wall. One of the scenes in the relief depicts the Feast of the Beautiful Meeting, which was an annual fertility festival celebrating the reunion of Horus of Edfu and Hathor (his wife) of Dendera. In the Feast of the Beautiful Meeting, Horus’s barque (sailing ship) tows Hathor’s to the temple, where the deities retire to the sanctuary after suitable rituals.
Halls with columns – Having passed through the grandiose Forecourt, you will go through 2 halls with columns that have elaborate floral capitals.
First and Second Antechambers or Inner Altars of the Priests – Beyond the Hypostyle Hall, the First Antechamber is an altar area where offerings were left for the gods by the temple priests. The First Antechamber leads onto the Second Antechamber with a small court of offerings. This room would be the priests’ last port of call to make offerings to the gods before entering the Sanctuary. The Sanctuary has a modern replica of the Horus’s barque. Reliefs in the Sanctuary depict Ptolemy IV worshipping Horus and Hathor.
Kom Ombo
We came back to the ship by about 9 am, had breakfast and relaxed on the deck of the ship as it cruised on to Kom Ombo. We could see the Kom Ombo temple ruins from our ship as we arrived there at about 2:30pm. It was a 5 minute walk from our ship to the temple.
Situated in a lovely setting on the banks of River Nile, Kom Ombo is Egypt’s most distinctive and fascinating temples, and was built to honor two gods, Sobek and Horus, making it the only twin temple in the nation.
The Arabic name “Kom” refers to a small hill, while the hieroglyphic word “Ombo” refers to “gold” in ancient Egypt. The term Kom Ombo thus means “the hill of the gold.” The Temple of Kom Ombo is a masterpiece of the Ptolemaic dynasty, the Macedonian Greeks who ruled Ancient Egypt for generations from 305 BC to 30 BC and brought stability. This dynasty famously ended with the Roman invasion and Cleopatra’s suicide. The temple once housed real-life crocodiles who were bred here, then later mummified and offered as sacrifices to Sobek. Today, many of those mummies can be found inside the adjacent Crocodile Museum. This stretch of the Nile was once a hub for crocodile life and the center of worship for Sobek. But nothing remains of the ancient city today. And the crocodiles that once basked on the river banks all migrated south after the construction of the High Dam.
Kom Ombo, Forecourt – This sweeping courtyard overlooking the Nile was a public space during Ancient Egyptian times, and a spot where animals were sacrificed to the temple deities. In the center there’s a small double altar where offerings were made to the two gods Sobek and Horus. The courtyard is surrounded by 16 gorgeous columns that date to the time of Tiberius Caesar Augustus (42 BCE – 37 CE). None of the columns are intact but they’re all still standing.
There is a beautiful purification scene etched into the gateway at the entrance to the temple. The relief depicts Ptolemy XII – father of the famous Cleopatra – purified by the gods Thoth and Horus in the presence of Haroeris, whose image only remains from the waist down. On the right side of the temple, the same scene is repeated as Ptolemy is purified by the same two gods. But this time it’s in the presence of Sobek (since this is Sobek’s half of the temple).
Kom Ombo, Hypostyle Halls – The two hypostyle halls at Kom Ombo feature rows of exquisite columns carved with the lotus of Upper Egypt and the papyrus of the Lower Egypt. Most of the roof at Kom Ombo is now missing, but in ancient times these hypostyle halls were entirely roofed and dimly lit with rays of light coming in through gaps near the ceiling. Elaborate column capitals (the tips of the columns) feature intricate floral lines, leaf shapes and curves that are symbolic of Ptolemaic architecture – and similar to the columns found at Philae Temple. The columns have carved bands of hieroglyphs including ankhs (symbolizing life) and scenes that depict the pharaohs making offerings to the gods.
Kom Ombo, Sanctuaries – The twin sanctuaries at Kom Ombo are the most sacred part of the temple – and once housed the statues of the gods that the priests venerated three times a day. All that remains of the sanctuaries are two black granite pedestals that once held the divine barks of the gods with the sacred statue tucked inside. The granite pedestal on the right once held the sacred statue of Sobek, while the granite block on the left housed Horus the Elder (or Haroeris as the Ptolemies called him).
Kom Ombo, Nilometer – An ancient Nilometer on the left side of the temple was used to measure the height of the Nile waters – and predict flood or famine. The Nilometer has a descending staircase and an indicator that marks the ideal water level needed for a good harvest. On the left side of the temple is also located a well that housed newborn Crocodiles
There are some beautiful reliefs along the inner passageway of the temple. A remarkable relief depicts the 360-day calendar used by the priests to mark annual harvest seasons and their corresponding temple rituals. The festive calendar at Kom Ombo divides the year into three different seasons all associated with the rise and fall of the Nile: a season of flooding (Akhet), growing (Peret) and harvest (Shemu).
Kom Ombo, Surgical instruments – The most famous relief inside the temple depicts a series of surgical instruments believed to be the earliest images of medical tools by the Ancient Egyptians. The relief shows a series of surgical instruments including hooks, knives, probes and forceps. Isis and Nephtys are shown on the left seated in birthing chairs during labor.
Kom Ombo, Hearing Ear Chapel – This beautiful relief is carved on Kom Ombo’s outer wall for common people who weren’t allowed to enter the temple. A deep recess in the stone has eyes and ears to hear the various complaints of ailing pilgrims, who came here to voice their woes right into the hole. Carved into the temple’s central back wall, this recess is the nearest possible point to the sanctuary while still remaining outside the temple.
Kom Ombo, Mummified crocodile museum – The museum had a fascinating collection of crocodile mummies, statues and curiosities. About 300 crocodile mummies were discovered in this area and many are on display at the museum basking in the sand like they did in ancient times. Other exhibits include offerings to Sobek left by faithful pilgrims and explanations of the complicated process of animal mummification.
We went back to our ship and had a fun dress up evening where everyone dressed up in Egyptian costumes and had a blast.
