Egypt day 12 Saturday, 5 November Luxor to Edfu

We continued our cruise down the Nile towards Edfu a rural community. Ron became unwell during the night and we were both anxious as he had symptoms of another internal bleed and we were in the middle of rural Egypt with no access to emergency help. He felt a little better in the morning but decided to remain aboard and not come to the Temple at Edfu. When we docked we were met by a number of horses and carriages which had been hired to take us to the temple as the locals would not allow Scenic to hire a bus but insisted on employing the local drivers. The time the company did hire a bus it was burnt out. Each carriage took two people so in the end, as Ron had stayed aboard, I took off alone in my carriage hoping that the driver would do the right thing and take me straight to the temple as arranged. Fortunately he did although it was a hair raising ride with all the drivers racing each other and declaring that their horse was the Ferrari of horses. After the visit I was delivered back safely to the dock I think to the relief of Hanan who was keeping an eye out for my arrival. Edfu Edfu is located 60Km to the north of Aswan. It was the 2nd Nome of Upper Egypt and the centre of the cult of a triad of Gods, which consisted of Horus of Behdet, Hathor, and their son, Hor-Sama-Tawy. In the old Greek documents, Edfu was known as "Apollopolis Magna" because the Greeks identified Horus with their God Apollo. Edfu was a flourishing city in Ancient Times. Today, the most important monument in the city of Edfu is the Temple of Horus, which is considered to be one of the most beautiful and preserved Temples in Egypt. The origins of the Temple probably date back to the Second Intermediate Period, but the actual Temple only dates back to Ptolemaic times. The work of construction began during the reign of Ptolemy III (about 237 BC) and was finished during the reign of Ptolemy IV. Some other additions were made by other Ptolemaic Kings, and Roman Emperor Augustus. The construction of this Temple and its additions, inscriptions, and relief's took about 180 years! Edfu Temple consists of traditional elements of Egyptian Temples of the New Kingdom, together with a few Greek elements, such as the Mamisi, which is situated to the west of the main entrance of the Temple (Mamisi means "house of the divine birth"). It consists of an entrance, a court and chapel. The walls of the mamisi are decorated with scenes showing the story of the divine birth of Horus the child, in the presence of the Goddess Hathor, the God Khenoum and other deities who were concerned with pregnancy and birth. The Temple has a Pylon that is considered the highest among surviving Temples in Egypt today. It is 37m high and is decorated with battle scenes, representing King Ptolemy VIII smiting his enemies before the God Horus. Next there is an open courtyard that contains columns with floral capitals on three sides. This open court was open to the public and was known as the court of the offerings, being the place where people could give their offering to the statue of the God. The Hypostyle Hall is rectangular and 12 columns support its roof. On both sides of the entrance to this hall stands a statue of Horus of Behdet, in the shape of a falcon. This hall is also known as the outer Hypostyle Hall. An entrance beyond the 1st Hypostyle Hall accesses the Inner Hypostyle Hall. 12 columns to the right support its roof, and on the left there are 2 rooms; one was used as a library that once contained a large number of manuscripts. The other was used as a storeroom or magazine for the utensils and the tools of the Temple. There are 2 consecutive vestibules; the outer one called the "hall of the offerings", where the walls are decorated with various scenes representing the different deities and offering scenes of the different Ptolemaic Kings. The inner vestibule was called the "rest house of the Gods". At the end of the Temple is the sanctuary, which includes a niche of grey granite where a statue of the God is supposed to be placed. In front of the dais is a pedestal for the resting of the divine boat. The sanctuary is surrounded, on the outside, by 12 rooms, where many religious scenes were depicted on their walls. Some of these rooms were used as storerooms, while the others were dedicated for different religious purposes. One of the most remarkable elements of the Temple is the existence of a Nilometer, as well as a chapel, which was dedicated to the Goddess Nut. On various walls of the Temple, there are many battle scenes, as well as the famous scene of the ritual of the Temple foundation. The northern wall of the court shows the divine marriage of Hathor and Horus of Behdet, which was celebrated twice every year; once at the Dendera Temple and the second time at the Edfu Temple. The Journey of Hathor, from Dendera to Edfu and the vice versa, can also be seen on this wall. Another scene, on the inside of the outer corridor of the western side of the Temple, depicts the legend of the conflict between Horus and Seth, the victory of Horus over his uncle, and his coronation to rule the world. Ron was feeling a little better in the afternoon and decided to come on the tour of the temple at Kom Ombo. The Temple of Kom Ombo stands on the east bank of the Nile, right next to the river, about 4Km from the town. It was dedicated to two Gods, Horus and Sobek The Temple was mainly dedicated to the God Sobek, the crocodile God, together with his wife, in another form of the Goddess Hathor. The Temple is of Greco-Roman structure, dating back to the year 119 BC, when Ptolemy VI, who started the construction, built it out of limestone. Neos Dionysus finished most of the building, while the Emperor Augustus added the final touches. The left side of the Temple was dedicated to the God Horus the elder, God of victory; Horus was known as the good doctor here! The Temple became famous for its healing power, becoming a major pilgrimage site. A healing cult was developed and the Temple became a sanctuary for many patients who were seeking help, and treatment, by the priests; they would fast for a night in the Temple precinct. You can enter the Temple from the eastern side, where there is an ancient gate built by Ptolemy XII (Neos Dionysus), who was the father of Cleopatra VII (yes, the famous one!) To your right, after crossing the gate, you will find a small room that was built and dedicated to the Goddess Hathor. Nowadays it is used to display mummified crocodiles, which were found in the vicinity of the Temple. The first pylon of the Temple is now destroyed and only stones from the foundation, and part of the wall remain. The court here was the construction of Tiberius. As you enter from the main forecourt, you will find that entrance is divided into two gateways, each one leads to the half of the Temple dedicated to one of the two deities The rear wall leads to the second hypostyle hall, which in turn leads to twin entrances. It has 15 columns, five of them incorporated in the front wall. This section shows Ptolemy VII holding hymnal texts before the Nile Gods. After that you will find three entrance vestibules, each one being smaller, and higher, than the last! The outer vestibule shows the Goddess Sheshat measuring the layout of the Temple, and the King laying the foundation. The middle chamber was dedicated to the offering and admittance was only allowed to the priests. To your right you will find long lists of calendars, telling about the various festivals dedicated to various Gods in the Temple. The inner vestibule has two doors leading to the 2 separate sanctuaries of Horus and Sobek. On the inner side, of the back wall of the Temple, is a very remarkable scene! It shows the first illustration of medical and surgery tools, which are being presented to a seated God. Here you will find depictions of: scalpels, suction caps, bone saws, and dental tools; 2000 year old depictions! In the northwest side of the Temple, there is a huge well with a staircase, which was connected with the worship of the crocodile and was also used as a Nilo-meter. You still can see water there! In the evening we all attended a Galabeya party arranged aboard ship. We all laughed at our outfits and enjoyed a night of drinking, dancing, talking and playing games.