Edfu Temple

Edu Temple

By: Kaylin Wallen

The well-preserved Temple of Edfu was buried under layers of sand for thousands of years. We visited this Temple on day five of our Egypt Tour. It was amazing to see the succession of hieroglyphs through the ages. Its construction began between 246 and 247 BC, and the Temple was completed almost 180 years later in 57 BC. 

We had an early start for this particular site, and what a beautiful start it was. When you looked out of your cabin window, you were lucky not to be on the dock port side. You were met with a stunning sunrise view over the Nile River. But, as usual, the picture surely does not do it justice. 

On our way after breakfast, we all headed to the lobby, made our way off the boat, and headed to the street exit, where a line of horse-drawn carriages was waiting. After the tour guide talked and selected our carriages, we all headed to the city and the Temple. On the way, we saw a bustling town in the morning. It's surreal to see horse-drawn carriages filtering through morning traffic beside cars, trucks, and people, but it was done effortlessly here. On the way, we also got to see many young boys who were headed to school.   

We arrived at the Temple after a quick ten-minute ride just in the nick of time before many of the huge tour buses started to empty some of the other larger tour groups. As we headed to the ticket booth, there were plenty of souvenir shops and merchants, also called the Bazaar, trying to get you to stop and set your eye on something so you could buy it. 

When you arrive at the entrance of the Temple, you immediately understand how something so big took so long to make. The engravings in the stone and the statues of Horus on the outscore only begin to tell a story that took decades to write. As we walked into the courtyard,  it was amazing to see how much detail, artistry, and mathematics had to be put into creating such a masterpiece. When you are looking at the columns from one angle, you see the kings on the columns looking towards and facing the god Horus, and from the other angle, you can see hours facing the king. You enter the temple, looking at the start, and see seven arches that would have once been sealed with large wooden doors. Each room and library is filled with the stories of Horus and his making, along with the offerings of many kings to this god. 

The hieroglyphics and stories of each room tell the story of what the room might have been used for. As you gradually look up, the walls seem to get darker, and that's because of the smoke accumulation in the rooms that were once used and central kitchens cooking the offerings that are tribute to the gods but also support the people. As you go deeper into the Temple, the rooms get smaller, and the details in the pictures pop more. In the smaller offering rooms that surround the alert, some of the rooms were so well preserved that you can see the colors and the pattern of the fabrics of the figures, the courtesies, beepers, the objects, and the foods. You see areas where water from the river helped indicate how much taxes the people paid. In this Temple, I learned that temples were not just places of worship but were city hubs. Business and government ran from these central places. Many significant decisions have been made here for many different kings.