Saturday, December 25, 2010

EDFU'S TEMPLE OF HORUS

EDFU, EGYPT - FEBRUARY 2010


"APOLLONOPOLIS MAGNA - Edfu, located sixty kilometres north of Aswan, was known as Apollonopolis Magna during the Greek times, as Greeks identified Horus with Apollo. Here, at 7:30 a.m. in modern Edfu, we may see tourists on their way to the temple"


"HORUS TEMPLE - The second largest temple in Egypt after Karnak, and the best preserved. The construction began during the reign of Ptolemy III (August 23, 237 BC), was finished during the reign of Ptolemy IV, but had several additions till 57 BC under Ptolemy XII"


"FAÇADE - The first Pylon of the Temple - 37m high - is considered the highest amongst the surviving Temples in Egypt. It is decorated with battle scenes, representing King Ptolemy VIII destroying his enemies before the God Horus"


"THE PHAROAH AND HORUS"


"COURT OF OFFERINGS - This open courtyard, containing columns with floral capitals, was open to the public, being the place where people could make their offering to the statue of the God"


"HORUS, PYLON AND COLUMNS"


"THE HYPOSTYLE HALL AND HORUS OF BEHDET - The Hall has twelve columns to support its roof. On the side of its entrance stands a statue of Horus of Behdet, in the shape of a falcon"


"HORUS & HORUS"



"HALL OF OFFERINGS - The walls are decorated with low reliefs representing Horus and other deities as well as offering scenes of the different Ptolemaic Kings"


"MOHAMED ALI"


"SANCTUARY - Located at the end of the Temple, the sanctuary, surrounded by twelve rooms, has a niche of grey granite to place the statue of the God. In front of the dais is a pedestal for the divine boat"


"COLOURS AND VANDALISM - As elsewhere, many of the temple's reliefs were razed after Theodosius I's edict banning non-Christian worship within the Roman Empire in 391"


"DEPARTING EDFU"

54 comments:

Trotter said...

Hi Folks! To cruise the Nile between Luxor and Aswan is a great experience, and the temples that are to be visited in the main villages on the way are absolutely stunning... Here we have the Temple of Horus in Edfu, an amazing experience, with awesome reliefs inside!! Hope you’ll find some time during this busy holiday season to get pleasure from this section of the Egyptian adventure in 2010... Enjoy, don’t forget to drop a line here and have a great holiday weekend, at least for those in the western Hemisphere, where December 25th is a holiday! Merry Christmas for all those who celebrate!!

juka14 said...

It looks fantastic inside, thanks for posting these photos!

SusuPetal said...

I didn't see that temple, instead we saw the great dam of Aswan. Maybe newt time I manage to visit this beautiful temple.

Merry Christmas!

S-V-H said...

It's very impressive and wonderful place. And there are also always a lot of tourists everywhere...hard to get a picture without to have them in the way, right? :)

Happy New Year to you and your wife, Manuel!

Baron's Life said...

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
All the best for 2011

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

Hi Gil!
There is such amazing detail in this temple! It i s so wonderfully preserved.

Merry Christmas and a happy & healthy 2011!

alicesg said...

Wow very impressive and huge. Merry Christmas to you and hope you have a great time celebrating christmas with your family and friends.

P.N. Subramanian said...

The temple of Horus is magnificent. The reliefs in the hall of offering gives a metallic look.

A Lady's Life said...

Ptolomy was indeed an interesting man and left a nice legacy behind him for people to remember. The temple is very nice, Ah !
The good ol days lol
I wonder if they were good ol days in those days in Egypt?
They must have been cause you can't do Ptolemic work without peace.
Have a Very Happy New YEar!!! Trotter :)

eye in the sky said...

I could spend hours just staring at those tablets. Gorgeous post. Merry Christmas!

[G@ttoGiallo] said...

Ok, weather is a bit different in Paris, nevertheless... no white X-mas!
Ready for the end of the year ?

Ted said...

A terrific tour. I'll add this one to me list of Blogtrotter favorites. It looks especially appealing today as a winter snow storm blows in covering everything here in white. Alas, I'm still not allowed out to photograph in it, so I'll content myself with Horus.

PeterParis said...

Vandalsime and non-respect of existing monuments, buildings, statues... is something which unfortunately always have taken place; ... and so still! Fortunately not everything has been destroyed!

leo said...

OMG!! The Horus temple is stunning. Especially the outside wall. It's photographers haven :D I also like Horus as falcon. Impressive place. Happy New Year.

magiceye said...

amazing place!
thank you for sharing!

Mariposa said...

wow it is indeed preserved well. Beautiful. Muhamed Ali was funny!

Nikon said...

The reliefs on the walls - the lighting - is great. Very nice effect, Gil.
The river full of tour ships is quite a sight!

Rune Eide said...

I suspect that it was with a mixture of sadness and wonder that you left these treasures. Thank you for sharing!

Pietro Brosio said...

Hello Gil! The Temple of Horus is really fabulous and your wonderful pictures well describe it! Nice decorations!
I wish you a Serene and Joyful 2011!

Urmi said...

Wish you & your family a Merry Christmas.
Very beautiful temple of Horus. Amazing place. Gorgeous pictures.

BLOGitse said...

wow, wow...
Your postings make your trip look very long, like weeks... :)
Happy holidays from Casa!

Baron's Life said...

Hi I came BACK TO LOOK AT IT as I have been there myself many many years ago...I must say: you captured the eessence of it in your photographs.
Well done

lv2scpbk said...

Love all the scroll work on the temples.

Anonymous said...

Nice photo. I like seeing images from old art and architecture. There is something striking about it.

Light and Voices said...

Happy Holidays! Amazing....cruising the Nile is definately going on my "bucket list."
Joyce M

rochambeau said...

Hello Gil and Mrs. T.
Thank you for your post!!
The Temple of Horus in Edfu,is not to be believed!
Happy, healthy and adventurous 2011 to you both!

xox
Constance

MedaM said...

It really it is unforgettable experience to visit such amazing place and to see the temples and all those high walls decorated with battle scenes. Your post is wonderful as well as your photos.
Happy holidays to you and to your wife.

yyam said...

Just awesome pictures! Thanks for sharing your travel adventures! Best wishes for the new year! :)

ELFI said...

magnifique reportage!

Bhushavali said...

Its just WOW!!!
Tiruvarur Temple Tour-Part 2
Fashion Panache

Oman said...

truly amazing art and structures, i really wish to travel as extensively as you :)

Joy said...

Did you say 730, Gil? Way too early for me :-) But then I can't blame the tourists. Those are beautiful images.

Hope you're having the loveliest holidays!

Many thanks for your patience, and for visiting Norwich Daily Photo and leaving your comment. Come visit again tomorrow!

Regina said...

How awesome!
Hope you had a wonderful Christmas.
Happy New Year to you and to your family.
Cheers and regards.

Ron said...

Very nice pictures! Happy New Year.

Rakesh Vanamali said...

Super brilliant! Cannot say enough of how wonderful these pictures are! Thanks so much for showcasing!

Do have a wonderful holiday season and a very happy and prosperous new year!

joo said...

The place is amazing, so beautiful and interesting, and it's good to see sun:)

Kat_RN said...

As usual, wonderful pictures and good information. My Sweet Husband has been to Egypt but I have not, yet. It is high on the list. It sounds even better on a cold winter day.
Kat

elvira pajarola said...

Absolutely MAGIC trip through your wonderful Egypt-documentation!!!!

Amazing art and beautifully illustrated and explained, Trotter!!!!

Egypt and it's fascinating history touches very much; specially after having visited and seeing all the remaining documentations!

Fabulous!!!!!

I wish you and your family a very, very
HAPPY NEW YEAR,
lots of sunshine and health and
many, many other trips around the big globe.......!!!!!!
(...and don't forget to shooot manyyyyyy pics for us...!!!)

ciao ciao elvira

Cergie said...

Que de magnifiques bas reliefs ! A se demander comment il se fait que tu ne sois pas reparti le buste de travers rasant les murs.
Heureusement que l'entreprise de destruction n'a pas été à son terme que l'on ait la trace de ces merveilles. Les colonnes notamment sont une splendeur et une rareté !

Trotter said...

Hi Everybody! 2010 will come to an end soon and we’ll be waiting for the best in 2011: unfortunately the expectations are far from being positive, at least on this corner of Western Europe… Anyhow, hope is the last to vanish, so we’ll keep our fingers crossed!!
January 10th, 2010, saw the birth of Blogtrotter Two and I want to thank all of you who made it run by commenting here; I’m deeply grateful to your usually most kind words, and also for paying attention and giving life to something that otherwise would be mostly monotonous, dreary, unexciting…
Have a Great Year in 2011 and keep dropping your lines here… ;)

Juka,
The reliefs are absolutely stunning; probably the best kept of all we have seen during this tour, notwithstanding the fact that some suffered greatly from vandalism…

Susu,
You missed a great opportunity to enjoy a fabulous display of reliefs inside the temple… As for the Dam, it will come with time… ;))

Sue,
It’s truly difficult to get a picture without tourists… I found one in the Net, but apparently it was taken by the end of the day, when all ships were already gone and the temple was ready to close its doors… Anyhow, there is a dispute on whether to keep people there to give you the dimension of the site or bring into play the technique used by the Chinese authorities to erase the «Gang of Four» from the pictures of Mao Zedong’s funeral… Now it’s much easier with Photoshop… ;))

Baron,
Thanks! I’m glad you liked it, as you have been there also… Always grateful to get acknowledgement from experts…

Pat,
It’s incredible detailed the work of the reliefs!! I think this is probably the best collection I’ve seen on this trip!

Alice,
Hope you also had a great holiday season!!

P.N.Subramanian,
I didn’t think about the metallic look, but now that you drew the attention, it makes sense to see it that way…

Lady,
The problem with the Ptolemaic pharaohs is that there were fifteen and furthermore they are confused with Claudius Ptolemy, the astronomer and geographer… ;). I’m not so sure about those good old days; but, at least, there were also a lot of Cleopatra(s)… ;))

Eye,
You’re right; the three or four large rooms with the reliefs are absolutely gorgeous; one could spend a day trotting there!!

G@tto,
The year is by the end, but I prefer thinking of the one that is going to be born… even if we can’t anticipate much good there… ;)

Trotter said...

Part Two:

Ted,
I can understand that feeling, though our «storms» are a bit milder: just some rain and wind… the temperature staying around +15º Celsius… ;)). Anyhow, it was incredible to see New York buried in at least half a metre snow… Keep yourself in the warm… ;)

Peter,
It’s true; maybe the pictures don’t show it well, but some of those magnificent reliefs (they are truly gorgeous…) were entirely knocked and stricken… But as you say, fortunately there were still many remaining…

Leo,
The outside wall, first pylon, is impressive; but the reliefs inside are true masterpieces from my point of view… Horus, god of the Sky, god of War and god of Protection, is usually represented as a falcon headed man with the famous «wedjat», the Eye of Horus…

Magic,
My pleasure to share!!

Mariposa,
Now, admit: you never thought you would find Mohammed Ali on the walls of an Egyptian Temple… ;))

Paul,
They had some lights inside the rooms and the effect was wondrous… I took most of the pictures without using a flash, just what they had in there… As for the River, I tell you that it was a bit disturbing seeing our ship overtaking most of the ships that had departed earlier; there were lots and lots of them… ;)

Rune,
Fortunately they allowed us to take pictures inside… The mix feeling of a great sadness and wonder was what I had at the tombs of the valley of Kings, where pictures were not allowed inside… ;-(

Pietro,
Who could imagine that Edfu, a not so interesting village in Egypt, by the Nile, would have such a magnificent treasure to show…

Babli,
Thanks! Beautiful indeed!!

Blogitse,
You see, that’s the advantage of taking thousand of pictures… You just make a post for every single monument you have seen during the trip and then the short week long trip turns out into a three month subject to blogging, one post each week… ;))

Barb,
That temple has some fabulous works of art…

Trotter said...

Part Three:

Flutietootie,
Great that you like it! This architecture is truly old… and the art you see there is also some thousands of years old… ;)

Joyce,
So, it seems it’s time for you to start packing; the Nile is waiting, but beware the crocodiles… ;)

Constance,
Thanks! It’s a great place and an awesome masterpiece…
xoxo

Meda,
Those Egyptians did really know how to show their power! The temples are magnificent and resisted thousands of years to the floods of the Nile, the sand storms, and the vandalism of the humans… ;)

Yvonne,
Awesome is the site, the pictures are just banal, but at least they some magnificent and awesome objects… ;)

Alex,
Great to read you back here!! It’s always interesting to re-discover some blog friends lost in the Net… ;)

Elfi,
Thanks for your visit and comment!

Friend,
Wow it’s much more than just… ;))

Lawstude,
I think I had already given some tips to you to find a way to travel; if not, here you have the answer to the young Singaporean – Clarence – who was also willing to travel around the world... ;))

«OK. Let’s try some “Rules to Improve a Young Man’s Capabilities to Travel”:
1. Begin with the reading: “Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man” or better “Portrait of the Artist as a Young Dog” will do;
2. Choose a career which allows you to travel a lot – concierge is not recommended! ;)
3. Start hitch-hiking – see references at “Blogtrotter Revival” or, safer nowadays, embark on a Student’s Exchange Programme;
4. Get an occupation where you get paid for travelling – for the purpose of enjoying trips, working as a travel agent seems to be only a last instance’s option;
5. Build your Travellers’ image: Marco Polo, Fernão Mendes Pinto, Vasco da Gama, Cabral, Magalhães – aka Magellan -, Columbus...
6. Like Bruce Chatwin, make choices: Sotheby’s/Sunday Times Magazine or “Have gone to Patagonia”? Buy or travel?
7. Choose your motto: “Navigare necesse est; vivere non est necesse” (Gnaeus Pompeius – 108/46 BC - aka Pompey the younger, commanding frightened sailors during a severe storm – “to sail is necessary; to live is not necessary”);
8. It works? You will be able to quote Benjamin Disraeli: “Like all great travellers, I have seen more than I remember, and remember more than I have seen”;
9. Doesn’t work? Why not trying to join the Salvation Army?…» ;)))

Joy,
Great to see you back in here and in great shape!! 7:30 a.m., and it was already warm enough to stroll around… in February… ;)

Trotter said...

Part Four, and final for the time being, while still waiting for some of the usual visitors...

Regina,
Glad that you liked it!!

Ron,
A special word for you in this holiday season: thank you for your continuous support; you never failed to comment in at least my last 140 posts. You’re Blogtrotter’s Santa... ;)
Highly appreciated!! Thanks!!

Rakesh,
Thank you! The exceptional quality of the reliefs certainly contributed a lot to the interest of the post...

Joo,
So, you have been enjoying your share of snow and now it’s time to get some sun... ;). OK. Egypt is great for the escapade; the only problem for you might be that with so many Poles there you might think that you didn’t even manage to leave home... ;))

KatRN,
Do you also have a bitter one? Lol...
It surely sounds great in a cold day as they were complaining a lot that the minimal temperature in Cairo - +17º centigrade – was terribly cold... ;))

Elvira,
Great to read you here!! It seems that you finally had some time to go through all these posts on the Egyptian wonders... I’m truly glad that you liked it... And thanks for the enthusiastic support!!

Lucie,
Mais regarde comme il me va bien l’Horus de Behdet… ;). C’est vrai que les colonnes sont magnifiques, mais les bas reliefs sont indubitablement extraordinaires…

Light and Voices said...

Howdy! It is raining on New Year's Eve here in the Mid-West on top of snow. Weird huh? When I look at these photos it brings me back in time with the horse and buggy and all the art to see everywhere. Must be nice!
Joyce M

Trotter said...

Joyce,
The art to see everywhere... I wish I could regain it... ;)

Gattina said...

You make me homesick with all your pictures from Egypt ! We spent twice Christmas and New Year there and it was wonderful. Very warm and NOW SNOW !!

Trotter said...

Gattina,
You're probably the person I «know» who has been more times visiting Egypt... Incredible!

Anonymous said...

Oh wow you posted a lot of beautiful photos. It was hard for me to decide which one I liked the best. Thank you for sharing them.

Trotter said...

Flutietootie,
Great that you couldn't find the best... ;))

Indrani said...

Such amazing scenes, beautiful.
Thanks for sharing them.

Trotter said...

Indrani,
My pleasure...

seema gupta said...

oh!!! i am impressed with such an fantastic carving work. amezing...

regarsd

Gattina said...

When I see the cruise ships side by side I remember that we had to walk through 3 ships before we reached ours, that was really funny and interesting !

Trotter said...

Seema,
The reliefs are awesome!!

Gattina,
In Luxor, our ship was also the fourth, but there were still another two after us... ;)