Temple of Edfu, Edfu, Egypt

The Temple of Edfu is one of the best preserved ancient shrines in Egypt. It was built in the Ptolemaic Kingdom between 237 and 57 BC.

Edfu was one of several temples built during the Ptolemaic Kingdom, including the Dendera Temple complex, Esna, the Temple of Kom Ombo, and Philae. Its size reflects the relative prosperity of the time. The present temple initially consisted of a pillared hall, two transverse halls, and a barque sanctuary surrounded by chapels. The building was started during the reign of Ptolemy III Euergetes and completed in 57 BC under Ptolemy XII Auletes. It was built on the site of an earlier, smaller temple also dedicated to Horus, although the previous structure was oriented east–west rather than north–south as in the present site. A ruined pylon lies just to the east of the current temple; inscriptional evidence has been found indicating a building program under the New Kingdom rulers Ramesses I, Seti I and Ramesses II.

A naos of Nectanebo II, a relic from an earlier building, is preserved in the inner sanctuary, which stands alone while the temple's barque sanctuary is surrounded by nine chapels.

The temple of Edfu fell into disuse as a religious monument following Theodosius I's persecution of pagans and edict banning non-Christian worship within the Roman Empire in 391. As elsewhere, many of the temple's carved reliefs were razed by followers of the Christian faith which came to dominate Egypt. The blackened ceiling of the hypostyle hall, visible today, is believed to be the result of arson intended to destroy religious imagery that was then considered pagan.

Over the centuries, the temple became buried to a depth of 12 metres beneath drifting desert sand and layers of river silt deposited by the Nile. Local inhabitants built homes directly over the former temple grounds. Only the upper reaches of the temple pylons were visible by 1798, when the temple was identified by a French expedition. In 1860 Auguste Mariette, a French Egyptologist, began the work of freeing Edfu temple from the sands.

The Temple of Edfu is nearly intact and a good example of an ancient Egyptian temple. Its archaeological significance and high state of preservation have made it a center for tourism in Egypt and a frequent stop for the many riverboats that cruise the Nile.

References:

Wikipedia

Address

Edfu, Egypt

See all sites in Edfu

Details

Founded: 237-57 BCE
Category: Prehistoric and archaeological sites in Egypt

More Information

en.wikipedia.org
egyptianmuseum.org

Rating

4.8/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby

Elkab (18,3 km)

User Reviews

Ahmed Yassien (3 months ago)
The Edfu Temple was amazing ? the scenery was incredible, the columns, the carving of walls OMG ?… I have never been so amazed that much in my life, It’s totally worth visiting and seeing that amazing monuments… Always willing to go back again…

Roger Becerril (3 months ago)
The temple is great, there is so much history to learn, I would recommend going with a tour guide who can explain everything you are seeing. Nevertheless the experience of going from the ship to the temple is horrible, you can see many stray dogs, cats, the city is dirty, many of the horses carrying the cartridges are very thin, some of them look sick, underfed and in poor condition in general. One feels really bad about them.

Pranav Gawde (3 months ago)
Again a must visit temple in Egypt. We visited early morning through our cruise and it was still over crowded at the tickets gate at 5 am. It is in a village with not much to stay or something. Best is to be in cruise and visit these temples. You ofcourse need a guide understand. This is the temple where all perfume recipes are inscribed and the french stole it from here.

razorrau1 (4 months ago)
We had stopped at the temple on our Riverboat Cruise. It was a great start to see some Ancient Temple that is in very good shape! It was on a massive scale and Architectural design is very beautiful! Will you recommend doing this excursion if you are in the area!

SKnari (5 months ago)
Another magnificent temple, our guide has been phenomenal in explaining us the findings. Dedicated to Horus, this is probably one of the best preserved temples.

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Photo from Flickr, copyright Andy Hay

Historic Site of the week

Argos Theater

The ancient Argos Theater was built in 320 BC. and is located in Argos, Greece against Larissa Hill. Nearby from this site is Agora, Roman Odeon, and the Baths of Argos. The theater is one of the largest architectural developments in Greece and was renovated in ca 120 AD.

The Hellenistic theater at Argos is cut into the hillside of the Larisa, with 90 steps up a steep incline, forming a narrow rectilinear cavea. Among the largest theaters in Greece, it held about 20,000 spectators and is divided by two landings into three horizontal sections. Staircases further divide the cavea into four cunei, corresponding to the tribes of Argos A high wall was erected to prevent unauthorized access into the theatron and may have helped the acoustics, but it is said the sound quality is still very good today.

Around 120 CE, both theaters were renovated in the Roman style.

Temple of Edfu