Wednesday, January 21 – Temples of Edfu and Kom Ombo

Note: I’m trying to catch up, so today’s entry will be short and sweet. I’ll try to beef it up as time allows.

Temple of Horus at Edfu

We start our day with an early morning visit to Edfu, the Temple of Horus, the falcon god. We travel to the temple by caleches (horse drawn carriages) and get a little taste of everyday life as we travel through the streets of Edfu. The Greek temple was built in 237 BC by Ptolemy III on the site where Horus is believed to have fought his uncle Seth for control of the world. It is the only complete temple in Egypt and second in size only to Karnak. It was buried in the sand and houses built over it until archaeologists uncovered it in the 1860's. Edfu and Kom Ombo are post-pharonic temples. Relief carvings show Ptolemy III and XII along with the Egyptian deities. We returned to the boat again by caleches and had a “bar-b-que” lunch while we sailed to Kom Ombo. Margaret was trying to figure out if it would be pork or beef BBQ, but it was just grilled food. It was excellent, but it might have been because it was served on the deck of the boat as we cruised a little further south. We continue to enjoy the scenery along the river banks.

Kom Ombo Temple

In the afternoon, we visit the Ptolemaic temple, dedicated to the crocodile-headed Sobek and the hawk-headed Haroeris. Most Egyptian temples were dedicated to a single deity, but Kom Ombo Temple, started by Ptolemy VI in 180 BC and finished by Roman emperor Augustus (30 BC-AD 14) was dedicated to Horus the Elder and the crocodile god, Sobek. The Chapel of Hathor near the entrance houses some mummified crocodiles. The other side was dedicated to Horus the Elder, known as the Good Doctor and attracted sick in hope of a cure. In this temple, as with many others, the early Christians defaced the images of idol gods on the temples walls when they began to use them as churches. However, they left the images of the sun intact because they believed that Jesus was “the Light” and that defacing this emblem would be sacrilegious. The temple sits atop a hillside that provided an incredible view of the sun setting over the Nile. We stayed as long as we could and then watch the sky turn from yellow to gold to a deep, deep red. Seeing the sun set here gives you just a little more appreciation for why this ancient people placed so much emphasis on the sun.

Sunset on the Nile

We returned to the boat for “Egyptian night”. Many dressed for dinner in colorful tunics and headdress. Despite our efforts to fit in, I think the natives will still say “Obama?”

Judy, Frances, Carole, Margaret and Susan walk like Egyptians