Edfu travel guide

(0700-1600 winter, 0700-1700 summer, E£40, student E£20. The temple is west or inland from the river along Sharia Al-Maglis and can be reached by) calèche, many of which are drawn by emaciated and badly treated horses, which await the arrival of the tourist cruise ships. Taxis and pickups linger around the train station on the east bank, quite close to the Nile bridge; the service taxi terminal at the town-side west end of the bridge is a 20-min walk or short ride to the temple. Intercity buses drop their passengers on Sharia Tahrir or the parallel Sharia El-Gumhoriyya about halfway between the bridge and the temple.

Edfu, 60 km south along the west bank almost equidistant from Luxor (115 km) and Aswan (106 km), is the site of the huge, well-preserved Ptolemaic cult Temple of Horus – the most complete in the whole of Egypt. The almost-intact ceilings and wealth of colours make it more immediately impressive than many older pharaonic cult temples and, as it replicates their architectural design in any case, gives a strong hint of what they would have looked like in their prime. Edfu Temple (as it is generally known) was the focus of the ancient city of Djeba. It was begun in August 237 BC by Ptolemy III and took 25 years, and several Ptolemies, to complete. The decoration took another five years and then a revolt in Upper Egypt meant it was not until February 176 BC that the opening ceremony actually took place under Ptolemy VII. Further additions were still being made into Ptolemy XIII’s reign. Like Esna’s Temple of Khnum, it was completely buried (except for its huge pylons) under silt and sand and its top was covered with houses until the 1860s but, unlike Esna, the whole site has been excavated. It had been severely damaged by the town’s inhabitants and it was not until 1903 that the excavation work was finally completed.

The complex is entered from the ticket office in the northwest corner at the rear of the main temple, which one walks along to reach the entrance at its south end. Just to the southwest is the small east-west axis birth house called the Mammisi of Horus, which was built by Ptolomy VII and VIII. The inner sanctuary is surrounded by a peristyle of foliage-capped columns, topped by pilaster capitals showing the grotesque figures of Bes, god of joy and birth. His frightening appearance was thought to dispel evil and to protect women in labour . Each year there is a performance of the miracle play that represents Horus’ birth at the same time as the birth of the divine heir to the throne of Egypt. At the southwest corner of the birth house there are reliefs of Isis suckling Horus (in infancy) and an erect Amun. On the pillars of the colonnades in the forecourt Hathor beats a tambourine, plays the harp and suckles Horus (in adolescence).

The main temple is entered through a gateway in the huge Grand Pylon on either side of which are grey granite statues of the hawk-god Horus. A tiny Ptolemy stands in front of him. On the left outer wall of the pylon Ptolemy XIII (88-51 BC), who was also known as Neos Dionysus and had usurped the pylon from its original builder Ptolemy IX (170-116 BC), is shown killing his enemies before Horus and Hathor (1). The right wall has the same illustration in mirror image. On its inner wall in the upper register the barge of Horus tows the barque of Hathor (2) and on the other side (3) the waterborne procession continues in the lower register. (No sails are required as the journey is downstream.) Celebrations for the gods’ arrival are seen at (4). The pylon also contains the usual guardians’ quarters and stairs up to the roof.

The giant Court of Offerings is lined with 32 columns with paired capitals behind which, on the west side, Ptolemy IX makes offerings to Horus, Hathor and Ihy, their son (5), and on the right (east) Ptolemy X appears before the same three (6). At the north end of the court is the First Hypostyle Hall, built by Ptolemy VII (180-145 BC), with its 18 once brightly painted columns supporting the roof. There are three different types of capital, repeated on either side of the hall. Before the entrance of the Hall stands another large statue of Horus, in grey granite. At the entrance to the Hypostyle Hall is the small Chamber of Ungents to the left with reliefs of flowers and recipes for consecrations and a small library, where the names of the guests for the day’s festival would be kept, to the right. Here many rolls of papyrus were found. The foundation ceremonies are illustrated on the walls of the hall.

Leading north from the hall is a smaller 12 slender columned hypostyle hall, known as the Festival Hall, the oldest part of the building dating back to Ptolemy III (246-222 BC) and completed by his son, where offerings entered the temple and were prepared. Recipes for offerings are found on the walls of the laboratory. These were then carried through into the Hall of Offerings where the daily offerings would have been made at the many altars and tables bearing incense, juices, fruit and meat. From here there are steps to the east that were used for the procession up to the roof where a Chapel of the Disc once stood. The stairs are illustrated with pictures of the priests carrying the statues of the gods to the roof to be revitalized. The roof offers an excellent view of the surrounding area, but the gates seem to be permanently locked.

The Offerings Hall leads to the inner vestibule called the Sanctuary of Horus, where engravings show Ptolemy IV making offerings to the deities while others show Horus and Hathor in their sacred vessels. Within is a low altar of dark syenite on which stood the sacred barque and behind is the large upright shrine of Aswan granite where the statue of the god was placed. The sanctuary is virtually a separate temple, surrounded by a series of 10 minor chambers, which are best examined with a torch. Horus’ defeat of Seth, who is portrayed as a hippopotamus, is illustrated in the middle of the west wall of the ambulatory (7). Note how the hippo gets smaller and smaller as the tale is repeated to the north. On the same side where the ambulatory narrows to the south the pharaoh helped by gods pulls close a clap net containing evil spirits portrayed as fish, birds and men (8). There are some interesting water spouts jutting into this area, some in better repair than others, carved as lions’ heads....read more