Day 06 - The Nile River: Edfu Temple, Kom Ombo

After sailing through the evening, we arrived in Edfu during the night. In the morning, we enjoyed breakfast and then met again for a devotional study on the sundeck from Proverbs 4:23, “Guard your  heart with all diligence for from it flow the springs of life.”

We then disembarked and boarded our bus for the Ptolemaic-era temple at Edfu. The temple is dedicated to the god Horus, and its walls tell the Egyptian myth of Horus’ mission to capture the Hippo god, Seth, after the death Osiris. The temple is also the best preserved temple in Egypt and it is an excellent example of ancient Near Eastern temple archtecture. The msssive mud brick walls which surround the site also provide an illustration of ancient fortification systems mentioned in the Bible.

We returned to the boat in the late morning and set sail for Kom Ombo. Lunch was an Egyptian barbecue served al fresco on the sundeck while underway. Everyone enjoyed a leisurely sail up the Nile in the afternoon. At 4:00 pm, we gathered once again on the sundeck for tea and sweets and opened our Bibles to study the plagues of the Exodus and the Passover.

After landing at Kom Ombo, we disembarked and toured the temple dedicated to Sobek, the crocodile god. The temple also served as a hospital in antiquity, and a portion of its walls depict ancient Egyptian medical tools. We ended or day viewing 2,000 year-old crocodile mummies.

The evening was Egyptian Night on board and many of the guests dressed in traditional attire and enjoyed an Egyptian meal and festivities.