Edfu Temple

(Temple of God Hours)

* Edfu

Edfu is located 60 Km to the north of Aswan. It was the 2nd nome of Upper Egypt and the center of the cult of a triad of gods which consists of Horus of Behdet, Hathor, and thier son Hor - Sama- Tawy. In the old Greek documents, Edfu was known by Apollopolis Magna because the Greek identified Horus with God Apollo. Edfu was a flourishing city during ancient Times. Today the most important monument in the city of Edfu is the temple of Horus which is considered one of the most beautiful and preserved temples in Egypt.

* Temple of Edfu (Temple of Horus)

The town is known for the major Ptolemaic temple, built between 237 BC and 57 BC, into the reign of Cleopatra VII. Of all the temple remains in Egypt, the Temple of Horus at Edfu is the most completely preserved. Built from sandstone blocks, the huge Ptolemaic temple was constructed over the site of a smaller New Kingdom temple, oriented east to west, facing towards the river. The later structure faces north to south and leaves the ruined remains of the older temple pylon to be seen on the east side of the first court.

The temple consists of :

1. Pylon which considered the highest among surviving temples in Egypt today. It is 37 M high and decorated with battle scenes representing King Ptolemy VIII smiting his enemies before God Horus.

2. An Open Courtyard contains columns with floral capitals on three sides. This open court was open to the public and it was known as the court of the offerings. It is where people can give their offering to the statue of the God.

3. The Hypostyle Hall, where its rectangular hall and its roof are supported by 12 columns. On both sides of the entrance of the Hypostyle hall stands a statue of Horus of Behdet, which takes the shape of a falcon, also this hall is known as the outer Hypostyle Hall.

4. The Inner Hypostyle Hall is accessed by an entrance beyond the 1st Hypostyle Hall. Its roof is supported by 12 columns to the right and the left sides there are 2 rooms; one was used as a library that once contained a large number of manuscripts. The other room was used as a storeroom or magazine for the utensils and the tools of the temple

5. Two consecutive vestibules, the outer one is called the hall of the offerings where the walls are decorated with various scenes representing the different deities and offering scenes by the different Ptolemaic Kings. The inner vestibule was called the rest house of the Gods.

6. At the end of the temple is the sanctuary which includes a niche of gray granite where the statue of the god is supposed to be placed.
In front of the Neos is a pedestal for the resting of the divine boat

7. The sanctuary is surrounded by 12 rooms from the outside; where many religious Scenes on their walls were depicted

In fact 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 Goddess Nut. On the various walls of the temple, the re 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 Dendara temple and the second time in Edfu temple. On the Northern wall of the court the visitor can see the scene which represents the Journey of Hathor from Dendara to Edfu and the vice versa.

Another scene on the inside of the outer corridor of the western side of the temple, It depicts the legend of the conflict between Horus and Seth and the Victory of Horus over his Uncle and his coronation to rule the World.

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