Feb 8, 20233 min read

Updates …..then on to Edfu

Fun fact: the Nile runs South to North, starting south of the equator and emptying into the Mediterranean. Because of this Cairo which is in North Eqypt is called lower Egypt. So right now we are sailing south to upper Egypt.

So this is our first morning to sleep in. Our first tour starts at 10:30. Since we haven’t slept thru one night yet, maybe this is our night. We go to bed at 9 and immediately fall asleep. We sleep straight thru to 1:30 am – but we aren’t concerned because we can fall asleep in a few hours and still get plenty of sleep. We are docked in Edfu….about two blocks from a mosque. And at 4:35 am, just when we think we can get to sleep, the call to prayer begins. It is broadcast throughout the city – but I think primarily at the docked boats. For one hour and 6 minutes the loudspeaker screams! So much for sleeping in.

We meet Hassan – our Egyptologist at 10:30 to head to the Temple of Edfu. We are going by horse drawn carriage. Please envision a beautiful horse drawn carriage like in Cinderella. Ready….

Getting there is really the adventure! We started to get off the boat before our guide arrived and we were stopped and told No, you have to wait for your guide. When we ultimately got out we understood why. Imagine 25 carriage drivers surrounding you and screaming at you to take their carriage. Hassan told us to stand back and he would negotiate and he would also pay. Thank goodness – it was a crazy scene. I tried to capture it in video but only got the aftermath once the deal was made.

Construction of the Temple at Edfu started in 237 BC. It sits a little over a mile from the Nile, and until it was excavated in the late 1800’s was virtually covered in silt. Ultimately that preserved it. The intricate carvings depict what the Egyptians believe is the beginning of the world, which starts with Ra – God of the sun. The remaining story continues on …..which is basically Egyptian mythology.

We know by this time the Romans were involved. This is the first evidence of Corinthian columns. The columns were mirrored, the style of one column was duplicated directly across the courtyard.

Inside the temple the stories continued to be recorded on the walls.

And our morning tour ends….but remember we have to get back. The good news is Hassan negotiated for round trip fares, so no haggling. We just need to find our drivers.

Back to the boat and we sail to Kom Ombo. In the evening, we are able to walk off the boat and right up to the temple. But now I am navigating very uneven stone and rocks in the dark! But it was beautiful (and I made it)! This temple was a true meld of Greek and Egyptian architecture. Hassan says the Greeks were more detailed and realistic, while the Egyptian architecture reflected their symbolism and idealism. The temple was divided in two halves, one guided by the evil crocodile and the good side by the falcon. This was also the first time they saw evidence of crypts in the temple that were auctioned off to the highest tither. But there were only so many crypts so after a period of time the mummies were removed and thrown in a large pit to make room for a new “sponsor”. Ultimately the majority of the mummies were sold to other nations in Europe and were used as petrol or ground down to use for magical or medicinal purposes.