Temple of Horus at Edfu

This was the first temple that we visited after we left Luxor.  It is located in Edfu.  The temple which was dedicated to Horus, the falcon headed god, was built during the reigns of six Ptolemies.  This is not only the best preserved ancient temple in Egypt, but the second largest after Karnak.

Read more: http://www.touregypt.net/edfut.htm#ixzz2ViQcjtfv

Our mode of transportation from the cruise ship to the temple. Below is our driver.

 

Our first glimpse of The Temple of Horus.

This is the entire front of the temple.  As you can see it is huge as in incredibly high.

This is the carving on the left side of the wall from above.  If memory serves me correctly, this scene portrays the Pharaoh showing his superiority over the countries/captives that have been overtaken.  The picture below show more clearly the captives bending before the Pharaoh.

This is what the inner courtyard looks like after passing through the entrance in the wall above.

This is the god Horus as a falcon.  For some reason, I find this statue really piques my interest.  If you look at the picture of the courtyard above, you can see this statue on the left of the entrance way.

This is the top of one of the columns, which I now know is called the "capital".  Notice the faint colours on the capital and on the wall behind.  I can't keep paint on my house from fading and peeling and yet these colours are still there, thousands of years later.  And they say we are advanced!

This is a replica of a solar boat in the room that was dedicated to Horus, the god of the temple.  It is probable that a golden gilded wooden statue of Horus about 60 cm tall would have resided in this room.  This statue would have been cared for by the priests in a human manner, being washed, dressed, anointed, fed and entertained.  This room would have been open to only the High Priests and the Pharaoh.
Read more: http://www.touregypt.net/edfut.htm#ixzz2ViQcjtfv