Edfu Temple

Edfu Temple

Located almost halfway between Aswan and Luxor, Edfu is famous for the temple of Horus; the largest and finest preserved Ptolemaic temple in Egypt.

According to the ancient Egyptian myth, Horus had a great battle against his uncle who murdered Osiris, the husband of Isis, one of the most famous ancient Egyptian goddesses.

The construction process of the Temple began in 237 BC by Ptolemy III and it took 25 years to be finished. However, afterwards, Ptolemy XII, during the 1st century BC, had contributed with many additions to the temple.

The temple is featured with its impressive pylon which is 36 meters high.  There are two remarkable granite statues of Horus standing at the pylon at the entrance of the temple.

The second smaller worship hall leads to the roof of the temple which offers marvellous views of the River Nile. The staircase leading to the roof is featured with amazing scenes of the New Year celebrations, a ritual carried out in many temples all over Egypt.

The birthplace of Horus, situated to the southwest of the temple, which was the centre point of many celebrations especially the annual coronation festival; a ritual which the ancient Egyptians had to celebrate the birth of the god Horus.