Day 3

Saturday - May 22, 2004

Wake-up call at 6:45 a.m.

First we took a horse carriage to the well-preserved Horus Temple in Edfu, which is the best preserved temple of antique Egypt. The temple was built in the Ptolemaic period and was dedicated to the God Horus. The hawks of Horus guard the gate of the Pylon and thr walls are covered with elegant bas-reliefs depicting religious and mythological events.
NB: Horus: the earliest royal god was the shape of a falcon, with the sun and moon as his eyes. The sky-god was the ruler of the day. The many forms of Horus are; Ra-Harakhti, Harsiesis, Haroeris, Harendotes, Khenti-irti, Khentekhtay (the crocodile-god), and Harmakhis, which is Horus on the horizons, in which the Sphinx of Giza is considered to be his aspect.

In the late morning we left for Kom Ombo. During this trip we had lunch.

The second excursion of the day brought us to the Sobek and Haroeris Temple in Kom Ombo. The temple of Kom Ombo was also built in the Ptolemaic period on the remains of a sanctuary of the time of Thutmose.
NB: Sobek: he was a crocodile god and was worshipped at the Faiyum and Ombos. During the middle Kingdom he coalesced with Ra, Sobek-Ra, and was worshipped as primordial deity and creator-god. Haroeris: one form of Horus (see above).

Following this tour we travelled on to Aswan.
NB: Aswan, at the gates of Nubia, is the ancient Syena. It is situated where the Valley of the Nile narrows and leaves no space for cultivation. High walls in form of dunes flank the river and the green fringe along the banks makes a strong contrast to the golden yellow of the sand.

In the evening a Nubian Night was organised by the crew - lots of dancing and a insight into Nubian traditions.

We spent the night in Aswan.

Horus Temple of Edfu