The Trip That Keeps Growing

Day 10 16 October 2021Edfu • Kom Ombo

As early as 3000 BCE, Edfu was a thriving town and cemetery site that was also the center of the cult of the god Horus, his wife Hathor, and their son Hor-Sama-Tawy. Located here is Egypt’s second largest temple and perhaps its best-preserved temple – the Temple of Horus. (Over the centuries after the temple’s completion, desert sand and silt covered the structure, and it wasn’t until the 19^th century that it was rediscovered and still nearly perfectly intact.) Built during the Ptolemaic (Greek Rule) period (237-57 BCE), it was one of the last attempts at grand-scale building by the ancient Egyptians. It took about 180 years to complete. This temple was built on top of another temple dedicated to Horus. Horus, the falcon god and one of the most significant ancient Egyptian deities, served as protector and patron of the pharaohs, and was the son of Osiris and Isis. Through the temple’s extraordinary relief hieroglyphics, historians have learned much about temple rituals, the power of the priesthood, and the Egyptian language.

In addition to the traditional elements of Egyptian temples, this temple also included a few Greek elements, including the mamisi (house of divine birth). Located west of the main temple entrance, it had its own entrance, a court, and a chapel. On the walls are scenes outlining the divine birth of Horus.

The pylon, standing over 121 feet high, is covered with battle scenes of King Ptolemy VIII defeating his enemies before the god Horus. The courtyard, with floral depictions on its 38 columns, was where the people would bring their offerings to Horus. A statue of Horus stands guard over the entrance. The Hypostyle Hall, with its 12 columns supporting the roof, has two small chambers on either side. This was where the priests mixed the incense and perfumes in preparation for the rituals. The Hypostyle Hall led into two smaller areas, the First and Second Antechambers, where the temple priests left offerings for the gods. From there the high priest would enter the Sanctuary which held the golden statue of the god Horus. There are several small chambers leading off from the Sanctuary, and in one, you can see the wooden barque (sailing ship) that would have carried the golden statue of Hathor during festivals and processions.

As it was still extremely hot, we had another early morning start to our tour. However, instead riding on the bus, we were all treated to a horse and carriage ride to the Temple of Horus. It was a wonderful treat to ride through the quaint streets of Edfu, alive with some activity even at this early hour. When we reached the temple, our driver told us he would see us for the return trip – my job was to remember our carriage number – 6. The temple was beautiful and as described above, full of carvings and paintings. The outer wall of the courtyard was, as Mito told us, the first play in history – reliefs depicting the battle between Horus and Seth, the god of the underworld (shown in the reliefs as a hippopotamus).

After our visit to Edfu, we returned to the ship for lunch while we sailed toward the city of Kom Ombo. As we cruised along, we passed one of the rock quarries that was used by Ancient Egyptians when building their temples and pyramids. Kom Ombo is also home to many Nubians were who relocated here when the Aswan Dam, and the resulting Lake Nassar, flooded their homes during the 1960s. It is also not unusual to find pet crocodiles being kept in Nubian homes.

At Kom Ombo we visited the Temple of Kom Ombo, which sits on a high hill above a bend in the Nile River about 30 miles north of Aswan. This temple was built during the Ptolemaic period between 332 – 47 BCE, on the site of an earlier 18^th dynasty temple. We were lucky as our ship was docked just below Temple, so it was an easy walk. As with the Temple of Luxor, we visited the Temple of Kom Ombo at night. The temples seemed to take on a magical appearance at night with the moon shining above them.

This temple is unique in Egyptian architecture as it is the only double temple in Egypt. It is dedicated to two gods – Sobek, the crocodile-headed god of fertility and Horus, the falcon-headed god of the sun/sky. But because of a conflict between the two gods, the ancient Egyptians found it necessary to separate their temples within one temple. Each temple was identical to the other – there were two entrances, two courts, two colonnades, two Hypostyle halls and two sanctuaries, one on either side of the main axis of the temple.

The ancient Egyptians believed that Sobeck was an ally with Seth who killed Horus’ father Osiris. After Seth was defeated by Horus, his allies, including Sobeck, turned themselves into crocodiles to escape from Horus. It was believed that Sobek’s chief sanctuary was at Kom Ombo, an area of the Nile that was home to a large number of crocodiles. The people of Kom Ombo lived in fear of these animals and they believed that if they worshipped these animals, the crocodiles would not attack them. Many crocodiles were kept within the temple and the mummified remains of the animal have been found in nearby cemeteries. Just beyond the gate to the temple is a small room that had been dedicated to Hathor, but today is used to display the mummified crocodiles.

On the inner section of the outer passageway, there is an example of a relief of the ancient Egyptian calendar, which acted as an agenda for the priests and priestesses to schedule and organize their rituals. And on the outer section of the enclosure wall, next to an engraving of a birthing chair, there is a relief of engraved medical and surgical instruments, thought to be the first representation of these medical instruments. It depicts examples of forceps, medical bottles, curettes, scales, and cupping glasses. The Egyptians were the first to use opium to put people to sleep for surgery. This has led archaeologists to believe that the Temple of Horus may have been used as a healing temple and that a medical school may have been located next to the temple.

On a somewhat unrelated topic, our guide Mito asked if we had any ideas as to why the drawings and paintings have existed so long in the temples and pyramids. The answer -- the Ancient Egyptians used egg whites as a glaze to keep the colors bright.

Unfortunately, only the southern section of the temple (the one dedicated to Sobek) has been restored. Most of the rest of the temple has fallen victim to earthquakes and the flooding of the Nile.

Returning to the ship, we had just enough time to change for dinner and our Egyptian party. Most dressed up in the traditional Egyptian dress – the galabeya, a long, loose-fitting dress. I even bought one at the ship’s gift shop -- $15 (what a bargain although I’m not sure Bill thought so!). But I can use it as a robe during the summer. Bill did not dress up, but he was not alone – several of the other men did not partake. The party was a lot of fun with music and games. The first game was like musical chairs, except that when the music ended, Mito called out a number, and you had to form a group with that number of people. The ones without a group had to then sit down. There was a surprise ending – there were three of us left, and Mito called out the number 2. The other 2 were already together, so I started to walk back to my seat. Mito then called me back and said that I was the winner as the last one left standing alone was the surprise ending! My prize was a glass of wine. The second game was a mummy wrapping contest. Three couples participated and were given rolls of toilet paper. Then one had to wrap the other as a mummy, completing the task in 7 seconds. Patrice and Larry won that contest. It was a wonderful end to another fabulous day of visiting the Ancient Egyptian temples.