Egypt Day 5: Cruising down the Nile and visit to Kom Ombo Temple

Where and when: On the Nile, between Luxor and Aswan,  4 December 2023

Today was a much needed day of rest and relaxation. When we woke up, the boat had docked in Edfu. After a leisurely breakfast (made even longer by the lack of cutlery, crockery and tea and coffee at breakfast) I spent the rest of morning on the Sun deck.

Port of Edfu is famous for the Temple of Edfu. The temple was built in the Ptolemaic Kingdom between 237 and 57 BC. It was dedicated to the Falcon headed god Horus.

Our tour with Intrepid did not include a visit to Edfu Temple. This is because of several reasons: the only mode of transport to the temple is through locally managed horse and carriages, the operators of which have been found to be in breach of Intrepid’s animal welfare guidelines. (You only have to look at the horses pulling the carriages parked at the dock to see that they are not well cared for). The other option is to walk to the temple (30 minutes each way). This also was not recommended as previous tours found that the experience itself is quite uncomfortable due to the nature of the vendors and local suppliers outside the site. I for one, was glad not have an early start for a change, so didn’t mind skipping this one temple. 

1230: Cruise sets sails from Edfu, an hour later than planned. After lunch it is a leisurely afternoon on the top deck.

1830: The cruise docks at Kom Ombo and we disembark to visit the temple.  The Temple of Kom Ombo was constructed during the Ptolemaic dynasty, 180 to 47 BC, so it is one of the “newer” temples in Egypt.  

The building is unusual because it is a “double” temple dedicated to two gods. The crocodile headed god, Sobek and the Falcon headed god, Horus. The double design meant that there were courts, halls, sanctuaries and rooms duplicated for both sets of gods.

Some of the carvings in the temple are “embossed” compared to the simple carvings in some of the temples we had seen previously.

Next to the temple, there is also a crocodile museum, displaying some of the mummified crocodiles found in the temple.

1945: Back to the boat, and we set sail for Aswan.