maverickbirdA friend of mine recently summed up Edfu as ” the people are hospitable, the sunsets immaculate, the memories everlasting”. Edfu was all of that and more. On my first visit to Egypt, I visited Edfu on a Nile cruise. It was the second day of my cruise when my boat landed there. Located on the western bank of the Nile, Edfu was a provincial town whose main industries were tourism, pottery, and sugarcane. The wonderfully preserved temple of Horus was its claim to fame and although short, my Edfu visit was a memorable one. Rows of waiting horse carriages took me from the riverside to the depths of the old town and in the morning light, Edfu looked quaint. School children trooped behind their mothers and old men smoked water pipes under the shade of swaying palm trees. Mudbrick houses stood in neat narrow lanes and hens scattered noisily at the sound of our carriage bells. It was photogenic and in the midst of streaming fingers of young sunlight, the little town seemed pretty. The huge hulking temple of Horus stood somewhere in the middle of Edfu town and I was aback by its size when the carriage stopped in front of it.
The massive entrance of the Edfu temple
Table of Contents
The Edfu Temple is the second largest temple of Egypt
The temple of Horus was indeed the second largest temple in Egypt after Karnak. Its slightly elevated location helped escape Nile’s annual destructive floods. Thus its architectural beauty was well preserved and the temple’s stunning reliefs offered invaluable information about priesthood and temple rituals of ancient Egypt. Dedicated to the falcon-headed god Horus, the temple of Edfu was as impressive as the legend of its patron. The child of Isis and Osiris, Horus was positioned as the sky god of Nile Valley. His eyes were said to be the sun and the moon and according to the legends, he was raised in the swamps by his mother after his uncle, Seth killed his father Osiris. Upon growing up, Horus avenged the death of his father by defeating Seth and good prevailed over evil in an epic battle. In ancient Egypt, all pharaohs claimed to be the living incarnation of Horus and the falcon-headed son of Isis was one of the major deities of ancient Egypt. His temple in Edfu was massive and I entered the cavernous interior through the high mud-brick boundary wall.
It is the temple of Horus
A beautiful colonnaded Birth House stood inside the enclosure and it was the venue of the annual coronation festival of the pharaohs. Evocative reliefs of Horus suckling his mother Isis as an infant as well as a young man covered the columns and the gateway of the pylon was fronted by two giant black granite falcons. Edfu temple of Horus was magnificent and I loved exploring its maze-like depths. The early morning sun cast an elongated glow upon the otherwise gloomy, relief filled corridors and the checkered play of light and shade made the Hall of Offerings, Festival Hall, Hypostyle Hall, Sanctuary, etc all the more fascinating. History and mythology mingled in an intoxicating way in Edfu temple and Horus presided there in his full glory.
Edfu temple was the crown of the Ptolemies
Recipes of lotions, potions, and magic spells were written all over the walls of the temple and in the olden days, Horus was pampered, indulged in fragrant floral anointment, entertained, and pacified by the priests inside the temple. Ancient Egyptian religious rituals covered the temple from top to bottom and apart from symbols where Seth was seen killed in the form of hippo, most of the reliefs entailed Horus in some way. Interestingly, the temple of Horus at Edfu was commissioned by the Ptolemy rulers, who were Greeks by origins and they ruled Egypt as successors of Alexander the Great. Ptolemies presented themselves as pharaohs to the native Egyptians and the Horus Temple commissioned by them was built over earlier existing structures. They enacted pharaonic traditions, architectural styles, and rituals and thus the temple at Edfu symbolized all their aspirations.
The massive outer walls of Edfu Temple
The stunning temple experience
It was a highly ambitious project which saw glorious days at the peak of its importance and with the introduction of Christianity, the monument rapidly fell into disuse. The ban on paganism lead to the defacing of many of its beautiful reliefs and the temple was found buried under piles of sand by Auguste Mariette, who excavated it back to its erstwhile beauty during the 1860s. In my eyes, Edfu was an example of magnificent restoration work and Horus Temple retained its powerful character. The shell-like vastness of its structure was more alive than Philae or Kom Ombo and I felt more alive walking down its ancient granite paths, than on busy streets. The old stones were softened by footsteps of thousands of devotees throughout centuries and the walls echoed with palpable stories. Time seemed to travel with my steps in and out of its maze and corridors and by the time, I returned back to the boat, the Temple of Horus at Edfu left lasting impressions on my mind.
Travel Guide to the Temple of Horus at Edfu
How to Reach
By Nile Cruise: Nearly all the cruise ships plying the river between Luxor and Aswan stop in Edfu.
By Train: The cheapest way to visit the Temple of Horus is by taking the local train from either Luxor (one hour) or Aswan (one-and-a-half hours). There are frequent trains throughout the day. From Edfu train station, you can catch a taxi or shared-taxi into town.
By Private Car: Taxis can be easily arranged from Luxor. It makes sense to combine Edfu with visits to the Temple of Khnum in Esna and the Temple of Kom Ombo if you’re hiring a driver for the day.
Timing and Ticket Price
Try to get there early or close to the closing time. From 9 am, the temple of Horus at Edfu gets crowded with the Nile cruise travelers. Early morning and sunset are also the best time for photography.
Details of the Temple of Horus
The Temple of Horus in Edfu is 110 kilometers south of Luxor and 112 kilometers north of Aswan.
- Pylon, the Grand Temple Entrance – The highlight of the Grand Entrance is the two stone sentinels of the falcon-headed god Horus. Don’t miss the relief of Neos Dionysos (Ptolemy XII) holding his enemies by the hair, ready to smite them in front of Horus. This was intended to awe the Egyptian subjects as they entered.
- Forecourt, the Colossal Courtyard – Surrounded on three sides by 32 towering columns, the huge Forecourt is impressive. The columns are richly decorated with floral and palm capitals, and the walls are covered in reliefs of the gods Horus and Hathor.
- The Vestibule before entering the Inner Temple -The Vestibule lies after the Forecourt. Decorated with 12 columns topped with floral capitals, the Vestibule has two small rooms. The western room, Hall of Consecration has a beautiful relief depicting gods Horus and Thoth pouring sacred water over the pharaoh. The eastern room used to the temple’s Library and has a list of books it once contained inscribed on the wall.
- Hypostyle Hall, the Place of Ancient Ritual Preparation – This is one of the most beautiful places in the temple. The Hypostyle Hall’s roof is supported by 12 columns and book-ended by two small chambers, which access the inner passage around the temple.
- First and Second Antechambers, the Inner Altars of the Priests – The First Antechamber lies beyond the Hypostyle Hall and it has a staircase that leads to the roof, which is closed to the visitors. The reliefs are one of the lovelies there. They depict the procession of priests, headed by the pharaoh. The ceiling has a mural depicting the sky goddess Nut, with the various figures of the sun in boats beneath her.
- Sanctuary, the Room of the Gods – Lit by three small skylights in the roof, the sanctuary has the most interesting reliefs in the temple. In the olden days, the golden statue of Horus stood upon a granite shrine.
- Inner Passageway, Passage of Victory – The Inner Passageway runs around the back half of the temple. It can be entered from the Hypostyle Hall and is decorated with reliefs and inscriptions.
- Nilometer – The temple’s Nilometer can be found by taking a subterranean staircase leading from the eastern side of the Inner Passageway.
Things to do around the Temple of Horus
- Mammisi, the Birth House – To the west of the Temple of Horus’ entrance lies the Mammisi. In the main chamber, on the right-hand wall, there are many reliefs of Hathor.
Follow the rest of the Egypt series here
- A CLASSICAL EGYPT ITINERARY
- SLOW TRAVELING IN ASWAN
- BLUE GOLD COLOURS OF THE PHILAE TEMPLE IN ASWAN
- ASWAN GUIDE
- ASWAN SOUQ PHOTO TOUR
- KOM OMBO TEMPLE: THE CROCODILE TEMPLE OF EGYPT
- NILE CRUISE GUIDE AND EXPERIENCE
RESPONSIBLE TRAVELING-BECAUSE I CARE