Cruising down the Nile some more, we approach the Temple of Horus at
Edfu.
They were big on having massive gates for the temples.
Everywhere we went, there were feral cats. In a few places, there were
stray temple dogs.
Edfu was notable for having all of the basic temple sections still intact.
We saw the gates already, then there is an inner courtyard where the people
could bring their offerings. This picture is taken from the courtyard,
looking to the temple proper.
The first hypostyle
hall
The second hypostyle hall.
And the inner sanctum with the holy of holies. This wooden boat obiously
does not date back to when the temple was built in 257 BC. It was reconstructed
in 1860 by Auguste
Mariette, one of the first serious Egyptologists.
It's hard to tell from this photo, but this is the goddess of the night.
This photo is taken upward to the ceiling, where the goddess is typically
pictured arched over the world. If you look close, the goddess' hip is
in the upper right, the breast is in the center, the face has been scratched
out in the upper left, and the arm is extending down the left side.
These corridors led back to storage rooms around the temple, which held
the offerings. Each room had hieroglyphics explaining what offerings were
kept here.
A cute temple goddess.
Each temple also had a Nileometer. This is a basement or stairwell leading
down below the level of the Nile. When the Nile flooded, the priests would
record the water levels here from the water table. Then the priests would
know how much to tax the peasants: the higher the flood, the better the
crops, the higher the taxes.
I wish I could read this.
Many of the temples have ongoing work. They still excavate the old way,
using lots of human power.
Our buddy Horus.
Down the river some more, and it is late afternoon when we arrive at
the Luxor Temple
in what was Thebes. The temple is dedicated to the gods Amun, Mut, and
Chons. This obelisk is one of two that stood in front of the gates. The
other one is in Paris, after being traded to King Louis-Phillipe in exchange
for a clock (that we'll see later).
This mosque was built before the extent of this site was known. Note
the bottom of the door that we are looking at; it was at ground level
before this area was excavated.
Ramses the builder.
The pillars from the hypostyle hall.
Some area in the back. I'm sure there was a reason why I took this picture,
but it escapes me now.
They are rebuilding the road from this temple four miles to the Temple
of Karnak that we are visiting tomorrow. All along the road they are excavating
these sphinxes about every 25 feet.
We stop on the way back at what passes for a liquor store.
We just couldn't face another buffet meal, so we ditched and went to
the McDonald's next to the temple. Kimberly is pointing out the McArabia
Kofta Combo (think beef or chicken pita).
A shot showing how large our cabin was on the boat.
After two temples in one day, we were all wilted, and we were supposed
to go to the galabiyya
dinner and party. This was another angle to encourage everyone to buy
the traditional Egyptican dress. We opted instead for some matching shirts,
and an early bedtime.
