Nile Cruise II

On our third day on the cruise we visited two temples, one in the morning and the other - located 65 km south - in the afternoon. Our morning visit was to temple Edfu. The temple, built during the Ptolemaic period (287 - 57 B.C.) was dedicated to the god Horus, avenger of his father's death (he killed his dad's jealous brother and killer, Seth). It is also the second largest temple in Egypt after Karnak.



Edfu's carvings and decorations are some of the best preserved in Egypt. Everything, from the walls to the ceilings, is decorated, some of it even with colors. The decorations include representations of Horus, the other gods, and most interesting to me, of the Greek pharaos dressed in Egyptian attire (remember, Alexander the Great chose to become an Egyptian pharaoh and follow local traditions after he conquered Egypt. His followers did the same). In fact, from what we observed, the temple of Horus is one of the most exquisite examples of the mix between Greek and Egyptian art.



In the afternoon we visited the Egyptian temple of Kom Ombo, dedicated to the local crocodile god of Sabek. Also built in Ptolemaic times, this temple housed mummified crocodiles! For me, a couple of things stood out as really interesting. First, the reliefs of the crocodile-looking god were stupendous, and I loved seeing him next to the Egypto-Greek looking figures. Again, it's interesting to see a place where two of the greatest civilizations in history overlapped.





And second, the temple walls depict surgical implements and a pregnant woman giving birth. Our guide claimed that this could reference some of the first ever medical procedures. Of course, we have a picture of Kimmie next to the depiction.