Crocodiles and falcons…oh my!!!

Our cruise ship took us to upper Egypt. Our first stop was in Kom Ombo.

When we got off the ship, we first went through the village before the temple. I walked around and looked at the mud brick houses, the small animal farm, a traditional tent you’d see in the desert and…drum roll please…a working shadouf. The shadouf is one of the earlier forms of bringing water for irrigation. I’m such a dork…I was so excited!

We walked up to the temple of Kom Ombo. This temple was dedicated to two main gods: Sobek and Haroeris. This is very odd; most temples are dedicated to only one god. Sobek is the crocodile god. Many mummified crocodiles have been found in and around this temple, and are now stored in a small museum next door. The other god, Haroeris, is another falcon-headed god.

Personally, I love a beautiful image of the goddess Seshat. She is the goddess of literacy and numeracy. She often wears leopard skin, which is something worn by high priests. This also tells us she is powerful. Above her head is a star. She isn’t found in every temple, but when she is, she’s conducting important business. Usually she is recording the name of a pharaoh after his birth. Or, she is giving instructions about the size, dimensions, and plans for a temple or tomb. That’s my girl!

Another cool aspect of this stop was a relief (carving into a wall) where you could see woman sitting on birthing stools. During the time period of Emperor Trajan, women gave birth in this position, unlike the bed of nowadays.

We got back on the ship and sailed a bit further until we got to Edfu temple. This temple took approximately 180 years to complete. It was dedicated to the falcon-god Horus. The outside facade of this temple is huge in stature and looks like just one gateway. But, as you move through it, there is a huge courtyard. In the days of the Ptolemy empire, a huge celebration used to take place here. People from another upper Egyptian town–Dendera–would bring the statue of Horus’s wife–Hathor–to Edfu temple. The people would get to see the golden-gilded statues only at this celebration. They would have a feast and celebrate their reunification. After the celebration, the people would bring the two statues to their own room (within the temple walls) so they could enjoy each other thoroughly (if you know what I mean ;))!

The other amazing feature of this temple is the story, in reliefs, of Horus’s revenge on his uncle Set. Since Set murdered his father (Osiris), Horus set about to find and kill his uncle. Being the tricky god, Set turned himself into a hippopotamus. Horus, and his mother Isis, found his uncle in hippo-form, and harpooned him. This act made it so he had sole dominion over the world. Revenge isn’t supposed to be, but it sure was sweet for him!

After this, we took a horse-drawn carriage back to the ship, and sailed off into the night. At night, we sat on the top deck with our amazing guide Aboudi (adore him so much), enjoying the warm summer breezes on our faces and in our hair. Looking out onto the dimly lit and dark riverbanks, we couldn’t resist huge smiles. What a remarkable trip this has been, and it’s going to continue!

Wow…speechless again…

Sorry, we haven’t yet uploaded the pics from Edfu! Check back for pics and commentary about the Karnak complex and the Luxor temple.