The Temple of Horus at Edfu - Egypt
Dedicated to Horus, the falcon headed god, Edfu is the best preserved major
temple in Egypt. This tourism destination lies some 100 km south of Luxor
and was once the capital of the second province of Upper Egypt. Edfu temple is not only the
best preserved ancient temple in Egypt, but the second largest after Karnak.
Located on the west bank of the Nile, Edfu is at a midway point between Luxor
and Aswan. The Horus temple is dedicated to the falcon god Horus and was built over a
180-year period from 237 BC to 57 BC. It was a prosperous town, Horus at first
was worshipped as a sun god but later became identified with Horus son of Isis
and Osiris. The temple was excavated last century by Auguste Mariette. Its
courtyard and surrounds were buried beneath sand and also houses built by local
villagers. It was believed that the temple was built on the site of the great
battle between Horus and Seth.
Among the main tourism spots, the Temple of Horus is one of the youngest grand monuments of Egypt. The Temple of Horus Edfu is one of few temples that gives access to the roof, from which you get a great view over the Nile and the surrounding fields. Apart from its ancient remains, Edfu is best known as a largely agricultural town, its main products being sugar cane and pottery. This tourism locality has just a couple of fairly basic hotels in town, but their value is respectively fair and good.
The great Hypostyle Hall which is the the main building, was uncovered by Mariette in the 1860s. There are several relief's which are mostly situated on the inside of the first pylon. the relief's include the annual reunion between Horus and his wife Hathor, including a depiction of the Feast of the Beautiful Meeting. They spiritually connect this temple with Hathors Temple at the Dendera complex. The Temple of Edfu was actually not the first one here. It was built on top of a temple built for Thutmosis III by the famous architect Imhotep, who later was proclaimed a god himself because of his great works. A pair of granite sculptures of the god Horus once flanked the entrance; today the remaining statue is a favorite of tourists. An impressive feature of the Edfu temple is that nearly every surface is covered by carvings and hieroglyphics, some of which were defaced by Christians as they considered the images to be pagan. At the entrance to the inner temple stands a magnificent black marble statue of the god. A depiction on the ceiling show the voyage of the solar barque through the Twelve Hours of the day, with an image of the goddess, Nut.
