Day 05 - Cosmic Order & Chaos - Ptolemaic Temples: Edfu and Kom Ombo

Our fourth day in Egypt started out with another warm and sunny morning! We enjoyed omelettes made to order, fresh fruit juices, pastries, tea and coffee, then disembarked for our first site.

The two temples on our itinerary today are from the Ptolemaic period of Egyptian history - “new” (around 2250 years old) in comparison to the 4500 year-old pyramids.

Edfu is the most well-preserved temple of ancient Egypt. Most of the reason it was so well preserved is because it was completely buried in sand and clay until nearly the turn of 20th century. Inside you can see the original paint colors! This temple is based upon a love story between Horus, the falcon protector of God of the pharaohs, and Hathor, the goddess of fertility and motherhood.

We returned to the boat afterwards and enjoyed lunch al fresco on the sundeck while we cruised the Nile. Before we ate though, Dr. Greer taught on understanding Egyptian and Syrian temples and how they relate to the ancient temple in Jerusalem. There was good discussion among us. We then enjoyed grilled meat and vegetables, various salad, breads and desserts. 

In the late afternoon, we disembarked and walked a short distance to the Kom Ombo Temple. Another temple, you ask? Yes, but again, very unique. This temple is a double temple, split in half and dedicated one side to Horus, the other to Sobek, the crocodile god of the Nile. This temple served many purposes, one of which was a medical and birthing center. It was also a place where crocodiles were raised on religious grounds as living incarnations of Sobek. When they died, they were mummified as manifestations of their patron god. Next door was a museum that displayed the crocodile mummies, from egg form all the way up to 12 feet long.

Tonight was a party, Egyptian style! We wore Egyptian clothing (that we had shopped for at the market or on the boat) to dinner and danced to Egyptian music! Everyone is looking forward to a good night’s sleep and a wonderful last day in Egypt tomorrow.