Sailing the Nile

Today was our third and last day sailing on the Nile.

Docked at Edfu we got up at dawn to visit The Temple of Horus, the most completely preserved Egyptian temple. This Ptolemaic temple was built between 237 and 57 BCE and is dedicated to Horus, the avenging son of Isis and Osiris.  It was completed by Ptomlemy XII Neos Dionysos, Cleopatra VII's ('the' Cleo!) father.  Over the centuries the temple was buried beneath sand and rubble to be recovered in the 1860s by the French archaeologist Auguste Mariette.  

Horus was one of the most powerful and important gods of ancient Egypt.  He was depicted in many forms including a falcon headed man. 

The Temple in conception and design follows  the general plan, scale, ornamentation and traditions of Pharaonic architecture.  The first pylon (gateway) is guarded by two huge granite statues of Horus as a falcon.  Beyond this pylon, the court of offerings is surrounded on three sides by 32 columns. Through the outer hypostyle hall, inner hypostyle hall with small chambers off both (in one of these all the necessary perfumes and incense recipes were brewed and stored and their ingredients listed on the walls) offering chamber and second antechamber to reach the Sanctuary of Horus. Here is the polished granite shrine that once housed the gold cult statue of Horus. In front of it is a replica of a wooden barque (boat) in which Horus' statue would be taken out of the temple in procession on festivals. The original is in the Louvre.  

We returned to our river boat for a leisurely sail down the Nile, through Esna lock and onto Luxor.  We did have some entertainment by those on board who wanted to do a bit of shopping with the vendors in their little rowing boats.  They had a very good system and aim of bagging up their items in plastic bags and hoisting them onto the ships!