Heading North on the Nile - Next Stop, Edfu

Another thirty-five miles or so north of Kom Ombo on the Nile, our second stop of the day was at Edfu.  We had a front-row seat from our cabin as the ship's crew deployed the gangway for our visit.

 

 

 

A smaller town of about sixty thousand, Edfu is home to one of the best preserved of the ancient Egyptian temples honoring the falcon god, Horus.  Dating from the Greek era around 200 B.C., the temple is about a mile back from the river and is typically reached by a horse-drawn carriage.  Drivers line up to greet the passengers from the tour ships and whisk them off to the temple.

 

The carriage ride through town provides a view of a less modern Egypt compared to our Cairo environs.

 The view of the temple in the distance is quite impressive from the ticket plaza.

 

This local citizen would be happy to show Linda around to see the souvenirs sold by various vendors hawking their wares.  "Maybe later?" he suggested. This was the phrase uttered by everyone selling stuff here, even the children selling handmade bracelets. These words were obviously learned from tourists who had been using them to ward off the constant barrage of offers.

 

 Back in 1859, the French began sweeping away the sand that covered the entire temple up to the tip-top of the front pylon.  It is quite likely that John Sheffer was involved in that effort!

 

A small "chapel" lies outside the major temple, dedicated to the the mother of the god honored inside.  This one has some nicely preserved artwork on the walls.

 

 

The main outer wall is truly massive and the two falcon statues out front provide good photo opportunities.

 

Numerous well-preserved hieroglyphics line the walls of the interior.

 

Deep inside, a sanctuary holds a twelve foot block of polished granite that comprised the god's shrine.

 

Near the sanctuary, a number of rooms have remnants of darkly painted ceilings with stars visible in places. We gaze at these ceiling with wonder and try to imagine how gorgeous they were centuries ago. Only the pharaohs and high priests were allowed into this inner sanctum of the temples so even if we'd been alive then, we likely would never have seen them.

 

 

We returned to the ship in the same carriage as we arrived. We never have to worry that we won't find our driver; they never forget the face of the tourist who will reward them when returned to the correct boat.

 

 More photos at this Flickr album, of course.