Edfu Temple: Visiting the Temple of Horus

When It Was Built and By Whom

Construction of the Temple of Horus began on 23 August 237 BC under Ptolemy III Euergetes. The last work finished in 57 BC under Ptolemy XII Auletes, and the Egyptian ministry says the temple was completed about 180 years after construction began. The temple rose over the site of a smaller New Kingdom temple.

The work moved in stages. The inner hall is the oldest part of the temple, begun by Ptolemy III in 237 BC. Work on the pronaos started in 140 BCE. The outer hypostyle hall was completed in 122 BC, and the whole temple was finished in 57 BC. The temple was consecrated for the first time on 10 September 142 BCE and a second time in 70 BCE.

The temple fell out of religious use after Theodosius I issued an edict in 391 CE. Sand and settlement debris then buried the building almost to the top. A French expedition identified the temple in 1798, when only the tops of the pylons showed above the ground. Auguste Mariette began freeing the temple from sand in 1860. A visitor centre and paved car park were added in 2005, and lighting installed in late 2006 allows night visits.

The settlement around the temple was the capital of the Second Upper Egypt nome. The ancient mound of Tell Edfu, which rises up to 20 m beside the temple, has been excavated by a project directed by Nadine Moeller since 2001.

The Pylon, the Courts, the Halls and the Sanctuary

The temple follows the classic plan, and almost every part survives, which is why Wikipedia calls it the most completely preserved temple in Egypt. You walk from the great pylon through an open court, then two columned halls, then toward the dark sanctuary at the rear. The pylon towers are planned as mirror images of each other and carry scenes of Ptolemy XII conquering his enemies and worshipping deities. Two statues of Horus as a falcon flank the entrance gate of the first pylon.

Behind the pylon, the reliefs show the Feast of the Beautiful Meeting, when Horus of Edfu was united with Hathor of Dendera. Wikipedia records that Hathor travelled south from Dendera each year to visit Horus at Edfu, marking their sacred marriage. The walls also carry the Edfu building texts, which describe how the temple was built and call the site the Island of Creation, and the Sacred Drama about the conflict between Horus and Seth.

The figures below come from the temple plan published by ancient-egypt.co.uk, the Madain Project and Wikipedia. Use them as a walking order for a visit.

Inside the Sanctuary

The sanctuary sits at the centre of the temple and holds a shrine of polished black granite and an offerings table. Around it stand nine chapels. A granite naos of Nectanebo II from an earlier building stands in the inner sanctuary, a survivor of the New Kingdom temple that once occupied the site.

The barque sanctuary was the spiritual core of the building. The sanctuary is surrounded by nine chapels. Because the temple lay buried for so long, these rooms survive largely intact.

Official Ticket Prices and Hours

The Egyptian ministry lists Edfu at EGP 550 for foreign adults, EGP 275 for students and EGP 40 for Egyptian adults. Carry Egyptian pounds, the official currency of Egypt, since LiveAboard advises using it for most personal expenses.

The ministry lists the temple as open from 7:00 to 17:00. Lighting was installed at the temple in late 2006, which allows night visits.

From the Quay to the Temple Gate

Cruise ships dock at riverside quays in Edfu, and horse-drawn vehicles take visitors to the temple. The 2-Night Small-Group Cruise even lists a horse and carriage ride to Edfu as a feature of its itinerary.

How long you get depends on your boat. The listings in this guide's comparison table do not state a fixed Edfu stop length, though the 3-night felucca option on the Overnight Felucca from Aswan allows about 1 hour at Edfu. On a cruise ship you should expect the guide to set a meeting time and keep the group moving.

Heat and light matter. Edfu sits in Upper Egypt, where Aswan's average daily high reaches 41.9 C (107.4 F) in July and even January averages a high of 23.2 C (73.8 F). The cooler months from October to April are the comfortable window because temperatures are milder. Inside the halls the light drops fast, so give your eyes a moment at each threshold.

Which Cruises Stop at Edfu

Most cruises on this site list Edfu among their stops, in both directions. The comparison below pulls the price and the Edfu ticket situation straight from each listing, so you can see whether the entrance fee sits inside the fare or waits for you at the gate. Ticket prices at the site itself are EGP 550 for foreign adults and EGP 275 for students per the ministry.

Read the entry column carefully. Only some fares cover temple tickets. The 3-Night Cruise with Temple Tickets at $600 per person includes all entrance fees to the sights it names, Edfu among them. The Luxury Dahabiya Cruise at $1,100 per person also covers entrance fees for the sites on its itinerary, and it stops at Edfu on a small sailing boat instead of a big ship. On the 4-night upstream direction, the 4-Night Luxor to Aswan Cruise at $950 per person, plus $100.83 in mandatory charges at checkout, lists Edfu, Kom Ombo and Philae as paid on site.

A 3-Night Cruise with Private Guide at $450 per person and a 3-Night Cruise with Balloon Ride at $580 per person both call at Edfu with tickets paid locally. The full side-by-side list of departures, prices and inclusions sits in Nile river cruises.

What a Stop Here Looks Like

A typical Edfu call follows one shape. The ship ties up at the quay, passengers come ashore, and horse-drawn vehicles carry them through town to the temple. Back at the pier, the boat sails on toward Kom Ombo, which lies on the Nile 50 km (31 mi) north of Aswan, or downriver toward Esna and Luxor.

Timing varies with the direction. The Esna lock can add a wait of an hour or more, and operators factor it into itineraries. Either way, stop times vary by sailing. Ask your guide what time the ship sails before you walk into the temple, because the return carriage plus boarding takes time.

If you want a slower day, the 3-night option on the Overnight Felucca from Aswan stops at Edfu for about 1 hour under sail, entry tickets excluded. The $25 from-price belongs to the shortest option, not the 3-night trip. For the next temple upriver with its double entrance, the guide lives at Kom Ombo Temple, and the temple beside the lock is covered at Esna Temple.