Kom Ombo Temple

By: Erin Masarjian

We arrived at the Kom Ombo Temple just before dusk. The brightness of the day was trying to hang on; the sky was slowly changing to soft blue hues of the evening from the cadmium yellow setting sun. I have just spent part of the day cruising on a riverboat on the beautiful and scenic Nile River. What a marvelous day it has already been. I was very excited to visit Kom Ombo Temple. Kom Ombo means mound of gold. The temples are dedicated to the Gods Sobek and Horus. There are many interesting things to see at this temple site. Not only a temple to discover, but there is also a crocodile museum at the site as well. This site had many visitors, and it quickly filled up with even more people.

Here we have an example of the god Sobek carved on a pilar in the courtyard of the temple. In ancient times the walls were covered with hieroglyphs and vibrantly painted. The amazing craftsmanship of the ancient Egyptians is astounding. In some places you can see the faint remnants of the rich colors and I let my imagination take me away and imagine the temple as it was in ancient times. There are a lot of ancient treats to stumble upon, if one knows where to look. Along the wall there is an ancient piece of wood that is still in place, an ancient dovetail.

This is a spectacular example of beautiful craftsmanship that also displays fashion at the time. The sandals of the God are very interesting. Something that I ponder is the size of the God compared to the lion. This lion accompanies the God; you can see how ferocious it is by the claws and sharp teeth. It almost looks like it is breathing fire, or perhaps that is the roar of the lion. One could study the image for a while and have a few more ponderings. There is so much to learn and understand.

This temple is known for some mysterious hieroglyphs that depict ancient surgery tools like scalpels, sponges, scales, knives and scissors. There were remains of ancient doorways and empty stone dovetail remnants. Imagine what was going on in these mysterious corridors. We flew through the tour of the site and then we were able to explore it on our own. The site was truly amazing to behold. The air was thick with mystery, the site became more wonderous in the dark.

The site was so interesting to explore. This rectangular pool is where ancient priests would bathe before certain ceremonies. There were stones leading away from the pool where you could see how the water would flow to the area. There was quite an interesting well. It is amazing how beautifully intact the structure is. The sun was setting and the columns in the distance were calling to me. These are truly huge structures with the most amazing details. The time and skills it took to complete these wonders truly is astounding. The site is jaw-droppingly beautiful.

The second fun spot on site is the crocodile museum. There was a cute attendant watching the door. There were so many cute cats and dogs in Egypt, it was hard not to take a few pictures of them. The museum was small but filled with interesting artifacts. I am not going to give it away but there are several huge crocodile mummies that you can see. Like, wow, to see these things in person!! Besides seeing these amazing mummies, there were so many beautifully crafted pieces dedicated to the god Sobek and crocodiles. Looks like the crocodiles and the goddess Hathor. I am in awe of the details in the stone. The artisan(s) who worked on this truly have crafted something so interesting. I wish I could study and learn more about the meaning of hieroglyphics. The ancients worshipped the crocodile god for gold. The land was abundant with gold, and they were happy about it, they were worshipping Sobek. But eventually the ancients realized they needed crops and fertile lands, and they started worshipping Horus. The little bronze statue would have had jewels and gold decorated. Like WOW!! I could have spent so much more time on site pondering these mesmerizing artifacts.

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