TL20171122Edfu

Pathways of the Pharaohs Viking Nov. 2017

Edfu, Egypt

This morning, ride in a horse-drawn carriage to the Temple of Horus, the falcon god, built in Edfu during the Ptolemaic Dynasty. Have
lunch aboard the ship while sailing toward Kom Ombo. There, you take a guided tour of the unusual double temple dedicated to the sky
god Haroeris and the crocodile god Sobek, a protective deity thought to have created the world. Return to your ship before we continue
cruising up the Nile. We arrive at Aswan during dinner; this evening, attend a Nubian party featuring the evocative traditional music of the
region. (B, L, D)

Edfu Temple
Duration: 2 hours

A Temple Magnificently Preserved
Visit one of Egypt’s most complete ancient temples, buried and preserved under desert sands for 2,000 years. From your ship, you will board a horse-
drawn calèche for an exciting ride through the village streets. Upon arrival at the Temple of Horus at Edfu, built between 237 and 57 BC, you will
gather at the entrance with your guide to marvel at the pair of black granite statues of Horus, the falcon god to whom the temple is dedicated. Proceed
into the colonnaded courtyard past hieroglyphics and rows of lotus columns into two halls, whose side chambers stored offerings to the gods. As you
explore, you will see the stairway leading to the roof. During an annual New Year’s festival, priests carried a statue of Horus to the roof so it could be
revitalized by the year’s first sun. In the sanctuary, you can admire a replica of Horus’s sacred boat.

Kom Ombo Temple
Duration: 1 hour

One Temple, Two Gods
See the fascinating dual temple of Kom Ombo, dedicated to two gods, Sobek and Horus. This remarkable temple, very near our berth, is unique for
many reasons. Two temples in one, Kom Ombo is perfectly symmetrical. One half is dedicated to Horus, the falcon god of the sky, and the other to
Sobek, the crocodile god, a protective deity thought to have created the world. It is believed that the temple’s builder went to great lengths to ensure
that both halves were precisely alike, so as not to offend either god. You will walk a short distance with your guide to the temple and learn about its
Greco-Roman style, built first by the pharaohs of Egypt and completed by an emperor of Rome. Upon arrival, you will admire its duplicate gateways,
chapels, courtyards and columns. During your visit, you can view some mummified crocodiles discovered in the area.

Temple of Horus at Edfu

Figures of the pharaoh in a victory pose are on the far right and left, while each side of the door shows the god Horus with his wife, Hathor.