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"