Kom Ombo and Edfu: Ptolemaic Temples to the Crocodile God Hopy and to the Falcon God Horus

Two of the best preserved Temples in Egypt; Mummified Crocs! Heading home downriver to Luxor.

We departed Aswan yesterday, leaving Nubia behind. This has been such a full trip. Viking packs adventure into every moment.

Now we have just cast off from Edfu on our way further north downstream to Luxor. Tomorrow we will fly from Luxor back to Cairo, check in to our hotel, visit the new GEM (Great Egyptian Museum), then catch a late flight home Saturday night via Paris.

Kom Ombo = Pile of Gold

Yesterday we made a short stop down river at Kom Ombo just before sunset. Many Nubians have been resettled here after their displacement by the waters of Lake Nasser. (I know I promised to write about the Aswan Dam and the Nubian village, but they will have to wait for a separate post.)

The main attraction at Kom Ombo is the temple dedicated to Horus the Elder (opening photo) and Sobek, the Crocodile god, below.

The temple celebrates the art of medicine and was a place of healing, dating from the Ptolemaic Era, which was begun by Alexander the Great, who adopted and accepted the Egyptian gods.

Kom Ombo was known in ancient times as Pa-Sebeck, Land of Sobek, the Crocodile god, and became an important place in the Ptolemaic Period.

The temple carvings are in very good condition. The Egyptians had 3 seasons of 4 months each: Summer, Winter and Flood. They had twelve months of three 10 day weeks (30 day months) and adjusted for leap year, maintaining an accurate solar calendar.

Do you remember Imhotep, the first physician and the architect of the first pyramid? By this time he was a god, and is celebrated at this temple, which also served as a place of healing.

The Temple at Kom Ombo is divided in two: one side for the Crocodile God and one side for Horus.

One of the carvings celebrates healing from the disease known as Bilharzia, also known as Schistosomiasis. It is caused by a parasitic flatworm that enters the body through the penis, climbs up the urinary tract, and results in death unless treated. Even today an estimated 200,000 people die of it each year, second only to malaria among diseases. It is believed that it spread to Egypt in the 5th Dynasty (c. 2500 BCE) as a result of the importation of slaves and monkeys from the African Great Lakes region.

The cure used by the ancient Egyptians is unknown.

Once a year a crocodile was captured by the High Priest. The croc was raised for few months, then mummified (above: mummified crocs)! Next to the temple is the Crocodile Museum:

The museum is small but surprisingly interesting and well done. Above: example of mummification of crocodiles.

We left the croc museum and walked to our nearby Viking Ship Osiris. The sunset prayers were still underway as we enjoyed the evening beauty of the Nile.

Edfu

After cruising further down river this morning we awoke again to the call to prayer. We had docked at Edfu sometime during the night.

Above is a short video showing the cruise ship traffic on the Nile this morning.

We boarded a bus for a 10 minute ride to the Temple of Horus, the most completely preserved temple in Egypt. It too was built during the Ptolemaic time, between 237 and 57 BCE, completed by Cleopatra’s father, Ptolemy XII. The desert sands covered and protected it after the cult was outlawed during Christian times.

Much of the original mud brick wall which surrounded the Temple even survives. The Roman era Mammis, or Birth House, is on the left outside the entrance. Two massive pylons are intact, guarded by two granite falcons.

Falcons, the symbol of Horus, were trained to perch between them. Above: one of the two granite falcons protecting the entrance. Once a year the priest wore the mask of a Falcon. A trained falcon would participate in the ceremonies.

Above: Horus the Divine Falcon.

The beautifully preserved carvings and papyrus writings discovered in the ruins have helped Egyptologists fill in many gaps.

The carvings depict the fight between Horus and his evil uncle Seth. Our marvelous guide had us reenact some of the story, greatly helping us untangle the web of Egyptian mythology that can be so confusing.

Above is our Brilliant Guide Randa providing some of the details. It has been a marvelous trip, impossible to fully describe.

If you can possibly find a way to visit Egypt, do it! If you can afford it, Viking is the best.

If you can’t visit Egypt in person I hope this journal has given you some idea of the incredible rich legacy the Egypt has, and is continuing to discover and preserve.

Above: the Winged Disc of Horus, with two cobras of Upper and Lower Egypt.

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So glad you’re traveling along~!

Credits:

An Egyptian Pantheon, Adapted from the text of Champollion, Samira Mahmoud, Farid Atiya Press, 2004.

Post Script: I got a bit confused in yesterday’s post. We flew south, not north, to Abu Simbel from Aswan, as alert readers probably realized. It has been edited.

PPS: This is an edited version as well. Earlier versions had some duplication and typos. Thanks for your understanding.