Edfu, Egypt Last night (several nights ago) our boat cleared the locks on the Nile, in line behind fifteen other boats, and followed by another ten. This is one busy river.
We docked overnight in Edfu, halfway between Luxor and Aswan. It is the site of the Temple of Horus, considered one of the best-preserved of the ancient world.
We were to tour the temple early in the morning, using the traditional method of transport — the horse-drawn buggy. Twenty of them were pulled up waiting for our group on the street. It all happened so fast I couldn’t properly determine if we got the worst carriage or not, but our poor horse was really on its last legs. All these carriages have seen better days.
Our cavalcade finally reached the temple, weaving through bus, tuk-tuk, and car traffic. It became evident immediately that every other ship had the same tour schedule. Hundreds of people poured into the forecourt, all separated into tour groups with guides all competing to explain the intricate familial relationships between Horus, Osiris, Hathor and Seth. I’ll leave you to discover those on your own.
We were not so lucky. Our guide nattered on about the gods, while we just wanted to admire the architecture. He finally gave us “free” time, only sufficient to make it back to our meeting place. My photos – when you finally get to see them – are limited because it was a choice between navigating the crowds or taking photos over a river of heads.
I’ll take it as written that this place was special and unusual. Will consult YouTube for details.
We had some time before lunch, passing up the tour of the kitchen and a cooking class.
After an afternoon break, we docked at Kom Ombo to see a famous temple honoring the crocodile god, Sobek.
We didn’t get time to explore the temple itself, but two aspects really stood out.
Kom Ombo features an ancient festival calendar, which arranges the year by three Nile-related festivities — flooding, planting, and harvesting. The walls also contain an inventory of surgical instruments and procedures, along with carvings of medicine bottles and suggested opiates. Ancient Egyptian medicine was likely the most advanced in the world.
There is a crocodile museum, featuring various effigies and remains in honor of Sobek. The good news is that, since the Aswan dam was built, there are no longer any crocs in this part of the Nile.
Too bad it is so crowded and you are getting hustled for time, hope things calm down soon.