Edfu

 

Egypt

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Egyptian Towns

Edfu

Edfu

The perfect temple can be found further down the Nile, at Edfu, the capital of the second ‘nome’ (administrative division) of Upper Egypt and is still a very animated town.

The perfect temple can be found further down the Nile, at Edfu, the capital of the second ‘nome’ (administrative division) of Upper Egypt and is still a very animated town.
Ridded of its gangue of sand in 1860 by the French archaeologist Mariette, it is without doubt the best preserved temple in the entire country.
It construction demanded no less than two centuries, from during the reign of Ptolemy III (237 BC) until that of Berenice IV. Once over the effervescence of the disembarkation and the disordered ballet of the carriages, the first impression one gets is of an incredible power. The tower demands respect, standing proud as it does at almost 120ft. And what words to describe the interior court and the perfect alignment of its colonnades engraved with the effigy of Horus; what can one say of the two statues of the God standing at the entrance or of the rooms which get smaller, lower, more sombre? At every pace taken the feeling of sacredness becomes ever more palpable and little imagination is needed for the engraved scenes of religious festivals on the walls to take on life, colour and magnificence. Horus, celestial God of the sun and moon, was also the God of the two lands, Upper and Lower Egypt and was son to Isis or Orisis.
Category : Egyptian Towns
items Date : 01/08/2009
Author of items : Senakht