Edfu and Kom Ombo

 

Wednesday-Thursday, February 11-12, 2026

Edfu and Kom Ombo

We spent these two days cruising the Nile towards Aswan, with one stop on each day, so I’ll combine them.  On Wednesday, our stop was at Edfu to visit the Temple of Horus (the falcon-headed god).  It was completed by Cleopatra’s father, Ptolemy XIII, around 55 BCE during the Greco-Roman period.  Here’s the Temple: 

And Horus (with Kathy and Victor): 

The temple’s columns have wonderful floral capitals: 

There is extraordinary artwork here.  This is Horus receiving a libation from one of the Ptolemaic pharaohs, probably Ptolemy 13: 

We spent the night tied up along the riverside in Kom Ombo, and the next day we visited the Temple of Sobek (the crocodile god) and Horus the Elder, unusual in that it’s a temple dedicated to two gods.  In this frieze Sobek is on the right, Tasenetnofret (the consort of Sobek) is in the center, and Horus the Elder is on the left: 

The story-telling is wonderful.  We’ve been learning (or at least hearing) much of the mythology of the depictions of gods we’re seeing.  It’s very complicated, and our Egyptologist traveling with us has been just comprehensive enough to give us a peek into the complexity of the beliefs.  I’m sure my retention will be slight, but the introduction and the education have been quite remarkable.  He’s an excellent teacher.  Here’s the depiction of the birth of a divine child, probably Horus, on the right and suckling on the left. 

The Egyptians practiced surgery, and there’s a frieze of surgical instruments.  Simply amazing: 

The innovations in prisoner torture were on display: 

The crocodiles were venerated, and many were mummified.  There’s a  Crocodile Museum with many mummified crocs: 

Some were even wrapped as human mummies were: 

We arrived at Aswan on Thursday evening, and will tour Aswan on Friday.  More then.

Comments

  1. MarciaFebruary 15, 2026 at 9:31 AM

    Amazing! I especially am intrigued by the frieze of the surgical instruments and the mummified crocs.

    ReplyDelete
  2. xctravelerFebruary 15, 2026 at 9:50 AM

    I must admit that I had forgotten much of the stories of the Pharos by the time the plane lifted off the runway on the way home, but it was fascinating to learn and to know that there are resources where I could find it if I ever needed to know.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ralph P. LockeFebruary 24, 2026 at 2:22 PM

    Fantastic (in both senses) sculptures and bas-reliefs! I love the big Horus! I wonder what led the Egyptians to mummify crocodiles--were they understood as having souls that might be reborn....? I wish I could ask your guide some questions--great that he was so informative!

    ReplyDelete

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