Edfu Temple, Edfu

The Temple of Horus in Edfu (also known as the Temple of Edfu) is considered the best-preserved cult temple in Egypt. This partly because it was built later than most: in the Ptolemaic era from 237 to 57 BC.
Yet despite its later date, it exactly reflects traditional pharaonic architecture and so provides an excellent idea of how all the temples once looked. Edfu is also very large: the second largest in Egypt after Karnak Temple.
The provincial town of Edfu is located about halfway between Luxor (115km away) and Aswan (105km) and 65km north of Kom Ombo. A very popular destination, Edfu is included in virtually all Egyptian tour itineraries and can be reached by taxi or by cruise on the Nile followed by a caleche ride (Horse carriage).

History

In 332 BC, Alexander the Great conquered Egypt. After his death in 323, his successors ruled Egypt under the Ptolemaic Dynasty. This was the last dynasty of independent Egypt. The Ptolemies were Greeks but presented themselves to the Egyptians as native pharaohs and closely imitated the traditions and architecture of pharaonic Egypt.
The Temple of Horus at Edfu was built during the Ptolemiac era on top of an earlier temple to Horus, which was oriented east-west instead of the current north-south configuration.
The oldest part of the temple is the section from the Festival Hall to the Sanctuary; this was begun by Ptolemy III in 237 BC and completed by his son, Ptolemy IV Philopator. The Hypostyle Hall was added by Ptolemy VII (145-116 BC) and the pylon was erected by Ptolemy IX (88-81 BC). The final touches to the temple were added under Ptolemy XII in 57 BC.
The falcon-headed Horus was originally the sky god, whose eyes were the sun and moon. He was later assimilated into the popular myth of Isis and Osiris as the divine couple's child. Raised by Isis and Hathor after Osiris' murder by his brother Seth, Horus avenged his father's death in a great battle at Edfu. Seth was exiled and Horus took the throne, Osiris reigning through him from the underworld. Thus all pharoahs claimed to be the incarnation of Horus, the "living king."
The Temple of Edfu was abandoned after the Roman Empire became Christian and paganism was outlawed in 391 AD. It lay buried up to its lintels in sand, with homes built over the top, until it was excavated by Auguste Mariette in the 1860s. The sand protected the monument over the years, leaving it very well preserved today.
In 2005, a visitor center and paved parking lot were added to the south side of the temple, and in late 2006 a sophisticated lighting system was added to allow night visits.

What to See

When facing the Pylon from the south, don't miss the Birth House is on the left. This colonnaded structure was the site of the annual Festival of Coronation, which reenacted the divine birth of Horus and the reigning pharaoh. Around the back of the building are reliefs of Horus being suckled by Isis. A Birth House is a Greco-Roman feature that would not have been part of older pharaonic temples.
Erected by Ptolemy IX (88-81 BC), the Pylon was one of the last features to be added. Standing 37m high, it is among the largest in Egypt. Its reliefs show a later Ptolemaic ruler, Neos Dionysos (Ptolemy VIII), smiting his enemies before Horus the Elder.
Beyond the Pylon is the spacious Court of Offerings, where people could enter to make offerings to the image of Horus. The court is surrounded by columns on three sides and is decorated with festival reliefs. Beginning on the inner walls of the Pylon and continuing around the court along the bottom of the wall, the reliefs depict the Festival of the Beautiful Meeting, during which Hathor's image sailed from Dendera to spend some intimate time with Horus in the sanctuary of the Temple of Edfu before sailing back.
Beneath the western colonnade are reliefs of Ptolemy IX (88-81 BC) making offerings to Horus, Hathor and Ihy; his successor is shown with the same deities across the way.
At the back of the Court of Offerings, outside the Hypostyle Hall, are a pair of black granite Horus statues. One stands taller than a man and is a favorite photographic subject of tourists; the other lies legless on the ground.
The rectangular Hypostyle Hall was built under Ptolemy VII (145-116 BC) and has two rows of six pillars supporting an intact roof. The ceiling has astronomical paintings symbolizing the sky.
If you have a flashlight, you can examine two interesting rooms on the entrance wall: the Chamber of Consecrations to the left, where the king or priest dressed for rituals; and the Library on the right, where sacred texts were kept and reliefs depict Sheshat, the goddess of writing. On the far (north) wall, reliefs of Horus have been destroyed by Christian iconoclasts.
Next is the Festival Hall, which marks the beginning of the oldest part of the temple, built 237-212 BC under Ptolemy III and IV. During festivals, this hall was decorated with faience, flowers and herbs and scented with incense and myrrh. Offerings of libations, fruit and sacrificial animals were brought in through the passageway on the right and nonperishable offerings were stored in a room to the left. The room in the back left (northwest) corner is the Laboratory, where recipes for incense and unguents are inscribed on the walls.
A small doorway, decorated with splendid reliefs of the sacred barques of Horus and Hathor, leads from the Festival Hall into the Hall of Offerings. During the New Year Festival, the image of Horus was carried up the ascending stairway on the left to be revitalized by the sun, then carried back down the descending stairway. Reliefs on the walls of both stairways depict the event, but a flashlight is necessary and locked gates may make access difficult.
This hall leads into the Sanctuary of Horus, the holiest part of the temple. The sanctuary centers on a black-granite shrine that was dedicated by Nectanebo II, making it the oldest relic in the temple. This once contained the gilded wooden cult image of Horus. Next to the shrine is an offering table and the ceremonial barque (barge) on which Horus was carried during festivals. Reliefs on the right (east) wall of the sanctuary show Philopator (Ptolemy IV) worshipping Horus, Hathor and his deified parents in the sanctuary.
The corridor surrounding the sanctuary contains several interesting rooms worth exploring. On the left (west) is the Linen Room, flanked by chapels to Min and the Throne of the Gods. In the back, a set of rooms nominally dedicated to Osiris has colorful reliefs of Horus receiving offerings (left room), a life-sized depiction of Horus' barque (middle room) and reliefs of his avatars (rear room in the right/east wall). Continuing south in the right corridor is the New Year Chapel, with an impressive blue-hued relief of the sky goddess Nut stretched across the ceiling.
Returning to the Festival Hall, head through the passage in the east wall for access to the external corridor where the priests tallied tithes based on the nearby Nilometer.
The passage in the west wall leads to a corridor with reliefs of the triumph of Horus over Seth. Specifically, they depict a Mystery Play that was performed as part of a festival ritual, in which Seth appears as a hippopotamus lurking beneath his brother's boat. At the end of the play, the priests cut up and ate a hippo-shaped cake.

Quick Facts

Site Information
Names:	Edfu Temple; Temple of Horus at Edfu; Temple of Edfu; Apollopolis Magna
Location:	Edfu, Upper Egypt, Egypt
Faith:	Ancient Egyptian
Dedication:	Horus, Apollo
Category:	Egyptian temples
Architecture:	Egyptian
Date:	257-37 BC
Size:	Pylon: 37m high
Status:	ruins
Photo gallery:	Edfu Temple Photo Gallery
Visitor Information
Coordinates:	24.978108° N, 32.873315° E   (view on Google Maps)
Lodging:	View hotels near this location

Note: This information was accurate when published and we do our best to keep it updated, but details such as opening hours can change without notice. To avoid disappointment, please check with the site directly before making a special trip.

Location Map

Below is a location map and aerial view of Edfu Temple. Using the buttons on the left, zoom in for a closer look or zoom out to get your bearings. Click and drag the map to move around. For a larger view, see our Egypt Map.
 

Visit Edfu Temple from Luxor with your own Egyptologist guide in a deluxe drive with Egyptravelue Tours

Temple of Karnak in Luxor

The temple of Karnak was known as Ipet-isut (Most select of places) by the ancient Egyptians. It is a city of temples built over 2000 years and dedicated to the Theben triad of Amun, Mut and Khonsu.

This derelict place is still capable of overshadowing many of the wonders of the modern world and in its day must have been awe inspiring.

For the largely uneducated ancient Egyptian population this could only have been the place of the gods. It is the mother of all religious buildings, the largest ever made and a place of pilgrimage for nearly 4,000 years. Although todays pilgrims are mainly tourists. It covers about 200 acres 1.5km by 0.8km The area of the sacred enclosure of Amon alone is 61 acres and would hold ten average European cathedrals.The great temple at the heart of Karnak is so big, St Peter's, Milan and Notre Dame Cathedrals could be lost within its walls. The Hypostyle hall at 54,000 square feet with its 134 columns is still the largest room of any religious building in the world. In addition to the main sanctuary there are several smaller temples and a vast sacred lake.

 The avenue of ram-headed sphinxes leading to the first pylon which was built by the Ethiopian kings (656 BC).

Originally there was three avenues of sphinxes one of which, two miles long, linked up with the avenue of human-headed sphinxes of the temple of Luxor.

 The Libyan pharaohs (935-730 BC) built the vast court of the Bubastites. This column was once part of the kiosk of Taharka where the processional barks were kept.

Temple of Karnak - The Sacred Lake 

 The lake is 129 X 77 meters and was used for ritual navigation. It was surrounded by storerooms and living quarters for the priests. There was also an aviary for aquatic birds.

The second pylon leads into the enormous hypostyle hall which was built by Seti I and his son Ramses II
(between 1294 and 1213 BC)

The massive columns in the hypostyle hall dwarfs the people and there is still some paint surviving on the under side of the capitals.

. The south entrance to Karnak. An avenue of sphinxes origanaly ran from this gateway to the temple of Luxor.

The pylon of Thutmose III - The Karnak area is scattered with fallen blocks of stone - the temple is slowly being reconstructed
like a gigantic jigsaw puzzle.

Visit Karnak Temple ,tour available every day morning and after noon from 30 Euro

Egypt Nile -Agriculture &irrigation system

Egypt Nile -Agriculture &irrigation system

Egypt has a soil of sand, and as we have already said, depends on the annual overflow of the Nile for its fertility. In the dry season, to supply gardens and fields with water, pumps of various sorts are used. The "Shadoof" is a very ancient invention for raising water. It consists of "two posts about five feet high and three feet apart, connected at the top by a horizontal bar; across this is a branch of a tree having at one end a weight composed of mud, and at the other suspended to it by two palm sticks, a bucket made of basket work or matting or of a hoop with wooden stuff or leather." One man may work this machine and lift water as much as six or eight feet by it. He may keep on the whole day bowing and rising as he works, doing it all in graceful fashion. (Source: Earthly Footsteps of the Man of Galilee, p. 46.)

 Around 6000 BC Agriculture appeared in Egypt , when historical studies showed that the citizens of the towns; Meredeh Beni Salama and Fayoum knew the arts of Agriculture in 5500 BC, Egyptian Agriculture has been linked to the River Nile.

The main crops planted by ancient Egyptians are wheat and barley cultivation of the Egyptians Tan and some legumes such as chickpeas, lentils, beans, Thermoses and many vegetables such as onions, lettuce and garlic, they also succeeded in cultivating many kinds of fruit such as figs and pomegranates, pears, grapes and palm, papyrus, Acacia, Lotus indigo, Kharroub, robin, Roses, the arena , berries, mint, Dom, clover, Zatar, Jasmine, cinnamon, saffron Wa Collard, watermelon, peach, Ebony and oak, this shows the progress and the importance of agriculture for anciant Egyptians.

Agriculture in Egypt maintains its character, many of the customs and traditions is still practiced in the Egypt Nowadays, due to the fact that agricultural groups maintain the past and this is highly correlated to the nature of the agriculture in the valley of the Nile. 

The Locks were another making of the Egyptians. These were made to prevent the endless robberies. They made a wooden crossbar that was almost entirely enclose except for some space for the key and the pins. They dropped these pins into cavities, which locked the door. To unlock it, they slid the key into the opening, which pushed the pins out of the way, enabling the door to open.

The Ox-drawn Plow: The Ox-drawn plow was an invention that not only revolutionized the way agriculture was carried on in the Egyptian communities, but a modified version of it is still used by farmers of backward countries who cannot afford machines to plow their fields. Using the power of oxen to pull the plow, made loosening the soil much easier and faster than doing it with hands or using human beings to pull the plow.

Agriculture in ancient Egypt required only a few basic tools: plows, hoes, sickles, baskets, forks, and scoops. Hoes, such as this one, were used in breaking dirt clods formed during plowing and for tending the growing crops. The ancient Egyptians also used hoes to move dirt during building or brick making. This hoe is made from two pieces, a handle and a blade, that were fitted together and then bound with a rope. The binding of modern rope that now holds both parts together is based on original attachments known from other hoes. The object does not show signs of heavy use. Its excavation at Deir el-Bahri and its lack of wear patterns suggest that this hoe was used to mix water and dirt for mud brick.

Egyptologists do not know much about farmers' lives beyond their daily tasks in the fields. As members of the lower class, full-time farmers were illiterate and, therefore, did not have the education or income to leave behind their personal histories. Farmers endured a hard but secure life, since serious deprivation appears to have been an uncommon circumstance. All farming was done by hand with the occasional use of cattle to pull plows. On small private farms, most family members were involved in agricultural activities; women are seen in tomb paintings gleaning the fields during harvest. A large number of farmers, however, worked on estates owned by others and were paid in food and clothing. Some farmers rented land from wealthier people, giving a portion of the harvest in payment to the landowner.

It appears likely that most of Egypt's adult population spent some time farming. Although there were full-time farmers, during and immediately following inundation most men were drafted through corvée (forced labor by the government as taxation) to increase the personnel available for dredging irrigation canals, surveying land boundaries, and preparing the ground for planting. Avoidance of corvée carried stiff penalties for the individual and sometimes his family. Noblemen and scribes, the literate upper class, were the only people consistently excluded from the corvée. Most noblemen were automatically involved in the agricultural system, however, because they owned farms and supervised royal or temple agricultural land.

Relief of a harvest scene from the mastaba of Ipi.
Saqqara, Egypt; Old Kingdom (5th dynasty). (c) Photograph by Erich Lessing

 Cattle inspection. Terracotta scale model about 3000 BCE Old Kingdom, Egypt
Egyptian Museum, Cairo, Egypt Cattle inspection. Terracotta scale model about 3000 BCE Old Kingdom, Egypt (c) Photograph by Erich Lessing.

 The flocks on the temple grounds. Relief from the Akhnaton temple project in Karnak. 1350 BCE, New Kingdom Height: 17 cm
Franco-Egyptian Center, Karnak, Egypt
The flocks on the temple grounds. Relief from the Akhnaton temple project in Karnak. 1350 BCE, New Kingdom Height: 17 cm (c) Photograph by Erich Lessing

 Farmers winnowing grain. Detail of a wallpainting in the tomb of Nakht, scribe and priest under Pharaoh Thutmosis IV (18th Dynasty, 16th-14th BCE), in the cemetery of Sheikh Abd al-Qurnah.
Tombs of Nobles, Luxor-Thebes, Egypt
Farmers winnowing grain. Detail of a wallpainting in the tomb of Nakht, scribe and priest under Pharaoh Thutmosis IV (18th Dynasty, 16th-14th BCE), in the cemetery of Sheikh Abd al-Qurnah. (c) Photograph by Erich Lessing.

 Men transporting corn. In the background slave girls fighting for the left-overs. Detail of a wallpainting in the tomb of Mennah, scribe of the fields and estate inspector under Pharaoh Thutmosis IV (18th Dynasty, 16th-14th BCE) in the cemetery of Sheikh Abd al-Qurnah
Men transporting corn. In the background slave girls fighting for the left-overs. Detail of a wallpainting in the tomb of Mennah, scribe of the fields and estate inspector under Pharaoh Thutmosis IV (18th Dynasty, 16th-14th BCE) in the cemetery of Sheikh Abd al-Qurnah. (c) Photograph by Erich Lessing

Men trampling grapes, one racking must. Detail of a wallpainting in the tomb of Nakht, scribe and priest under Pharaoh Tuthmosis IV (18th Dynasty, 16th- 14th BCE),
Men trampling grapes, one racking must. Detail of a wallpainting in the tomb of Nakht, scribe and priest under Pharaoh Tuthmosis IV (18th Dynasty, 16th- 14th BCE), in the cemetery of Sheikh Abd al-Qurnah. (c) Photograph by Erich Lessing.

Men cutting corn with sickles. Detail of a wallpainting in the tomb of Mennah, scribe of the fields and estate inspector under Pharaoh Thutmosis IV (18th Dynasty, 16th-14th BCE), in the cemetery of Sheikh Abd al-Qurnah.
Men cutting corn with sickles. Detail of a wallpainting in the tomb of Mennah, scribe of the fields and estate inspector under Pharaoh Thutmosis IV (18th Dynasty, 16th-14th BCE), in the cemetery of Sheikh Abd al-Qurnah. (c) Photograph by Erich Lessing

Labours of the field. Clearing wood, plowing, etc. Mural from the tomb of Mennah, scribe and field inspector, 18th Dynasty (1555-1350 BCE
Labours of the field. Clearing wood, plowing, etc. Mural from the tomb of Mennah, scribe and field inspector, 18th Dynasty (1555-1350 BCE), New Kingdom, Shaykh Abd el-Qurna, Thebes, Egypt. (c) Photograph by Erich Lessing .

Rosselini's copy of an 18th Dynasty painting showing an Egyptian drawing water

Astronomy IN ANCIENT EGYPT

Astronomy was very important to the ancient Egyptians, who observed the sky periodically. The astronomers named what they saw in the sky and used their observations to create the Egyptian calendar. The beginning of the Egyptian year was declared when there was a flood, as they noticed that the flood begins with the star Sirius, also known as the Dog Star, the brightest star in the sky. This incident represented the beginning of the agricultural year in Egypt. The year had 365 days divided into 12 months and each month had 30 days. They made the remaining five days feast days, called the Epagomenal Days, or the days upon the year, and added them at the end of the year. Months of the year were divided into three seasons, namely: the flood season, the planting season, and the harvest season. The year, the season, the month and the day in which the king assumed power was usually recorded by the Egyptians in their documents.

The ancient Egyptians used instruments or indicators for observing the circumpolar star. They would then draw a north-south axis line on the ground marking its direction, which was required for the proper orientation of important building projects. One of the instruments used was called "Merkhet," which could mean "indicator." It consisted of a horizontal, narrow wooden bar with a hole near one end, through which the astronomer would look to fix the position of the star. The other instrument, called the "bay en imy unut," or palm rib, had a V-shaped slot cut in the wider end through which the priest in charge of the hours looked to fix the star.

In the Greco-Roman era, Claudius Ptolemy, an astronomer, mathematician, and geographer, worked from the data of past astrologers to map over 1,000 stars. He compiled a list of 48 constellations and described the longitude and latitude lines of the earth. He was a believer that the earth was the center of the universe and worked to advance this theory. He developed the Ptolemaic system to explain why some planets seemed to move backwards for periods of time in their orbit around earth. He theorized that each planet also revolved in a smaller circle as well as a larger one. This was called the "epicycle." This theory would survive for 1400 years, until it was finally accepted that the earth was itself another planet in orbit around the sun.

The Greco-Romans used a calendar based on the Julian calendar calculations that used the leap year. Egyptian Christians, called Coptics, adopted this calendar to follow the sun and calculate the days, seasons, and solar years. The lunar year was also important to the Coptics, whose lunar calendar was used to determine the date of Easter and other important religious holidays. The Greco-Roman period also saw the invention of the astrolabe, a navigational tool that was perfected during the Islamic era. The astrolabe played an important role in guiding ships, whether for military or commercial purposes.Ancient Egyptians were concerned with the annual cycle of the seasons to establish the time for cultivating and harvesting.

For certain individuals, however, time was extremely important; these were the astronomers and priests who were responsible for determining the exact hour for the daily rituals and for the important religious festivals. Sundials, which allowed the astronomers and priests to observe the passing of the 12 daylight hours, could not be used to record the 12 nighttime hours.

A man called Amenemhat created the first water clock in the time of Amenhotep the First. The water clock enabled the Ancient Egyptians to measure the passing of every 12 hours, both night and day, winter and summer.

Water Clock

This alabaster water clock of King Amenhotep the Third has 12 carved columns of 11 false holes, corresponding to the hours of the night. The water flowed through a very small hole made in the center of the bottom, emerging on the outside under the figure of a seated baboon. To know the time, one had to look inside the basin to observe the water level and read the time according to the nearest false hole. The outside surface of this clepsydra, or water clock, is decorated with figures and text that show symbols of certain planets and constellations and give a list of the protective spirits for each of the ten days of the ancient Egyptian week. The middle register, or section, is occupied by the circumpolar stars under the aspects of various gods and animals.

Dimensions:  Height 95 cm  Diameter 48.5 cm The Coptic Calendar Egyptian Christians mark the 29th of August, AD 284, the day many became martyrs, as the beginning of their history. They used the same calendar that had been employed in Egypt before that time. It was based on the Julian calendar calculations that implemented the leap year, following an order from Julius Caesar in 46 BC It is named the Coptic calendar or the martyrdom calendar. The Coptic calendar follows the sun and calculates the days, seasons, and solar years according to the earth's orbit around the sun. As science advanced, the Egyptian Christians began to record the difference between one moon's course and another, the average time of a moon's course, and the time between the appearance of a new crescent and the following crescent, which is known as the lunar month. The Coptic lunar calendar was based on rules set by the Greek astronomer Meton in the fifth century BC, which state that every 19 solar years is equivalent to 235 whole lunar months without any fractions. The Copts have used this rule since the third century AD to determine Easter as the Sunday following the first full moon after the spring equinox. Westerners applied these calculations to the Roman calendar. As a result, all Christian festivals were held at the same time, until 1582 when the Westerners adjusted their calendar to that of Pope Gregory XIII. The Coptic calendar follows the same system as that of the ancient Egyptian calendar and remains an important reference. Because it is accurate in its forecasts of weather conditions, the seasons, agriculture, and the Nile flooding, farmers still use the Coptic calendar. A day tour to visit Dendera Temple where the most preserved scenes of The ancient astronomy has been recorded on its giant walls .Please Click Here.

Single consonant hieroglyphs; part two

Single consonant signs were often used as phonetic complements (extra glyphs to confirm the phonetic elements of a word which also has double or triple consonant signs within it). The Ancient Egyptians also used them to write foreign names. Learning these signs is the basis for any study of Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphs.Learning these signs is the basis for any study of Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphs.

n	n (rare)	s	t or T
T(tj) or t	T(tj) or t	H (emphatic h)	k
g (rare)	g (rare)	g (rare)	s
g	g	t	d (rare)
j or y	w	h (kh or x)	m
m

Here are some  trips  designed primarily for the traveler who wants to learn more about the ancient Egyptian language while exploring Egypt's classic monuments. It includes a rather intensive two week course in understanding Hieroglyphic inscriptions, presented by Dr. Ahmed Sabry (beginning course) and Muhamed Khaleel, ABD, University of Cairo, much of it on site. There will be practical exercises, classroom instruction and private study. There will also be time for fun