Edfu: A Strange Commute, A Worthy Temple

Early the next morning, whilst still dark, we landed at Edfu, 64 klicks north of Kom Ombo.  The setting was crazy, as the drivers of the horse carriages were shouting incessantly for customers.  

A lot of people take horse drawn carriages up the hill to the Temple of Edfu, but we bussed.  Odyssey Tours does not like that the horses are malnourished and poorly cared for, and that the carriages are rickety death traps.  

That said, the scene is unforgettable.  All these rickety carriages jockeying for business, and taking their riders pell mell up the hill to the temple through the town of Edfu*.  The carriages ride anywhere in the middle of the road they want, and motorized vehicles have to honk to get them out of the way.  The carriages get in a long line to the drop-off point, hurrying along to drop off their passengers.

(*Edgy aside: "Edfu" is spelled like it was named by someone who doesn't like Ed.)

Editor: This is a family publication!  Writer: Parents do not have to answer their kids questions!

As the dawn broke, the temple revealed itself to us.  Built in the Ptolemaic Kingdom between 237 and 57 BC, thus proving Edfu wasn't built in a day.

The writing on the wall focuses a lot on the temple (and others) as the Island of Creation, as well as the battles between Horus and Seth.  It was built on the site of a smaller temple also dedicated to Horus.  Over the centuries, the temple became buried to 39 feet beneath drifting desert sand and river silt from the flooding.  In 1860, a Frenchman began the work of freeing Edfu from the silt and sand.

Edfu selfies.  Cool columns and capitals.

The massive entrance pylon.

Columns.  With capitals.  Always cool.

This guy doesn't have

a leg to stand on.

Sorry -- I never will tire

of posting birds.  

Probably the best carving

of a bird's eye I saw on

the entire trip.

An Ibis

A vulture about to fly.  Look at the

detailed carving on the wings.

A boat.

This guy in Edfu, Egypt, and. . .

And this Straited Heron I took a pic of in 

the Galapagos are Angry Birds

who were separated at birth.

The left half of the pylon.

Cool-looking rando building in Edfu.

The bus ride back down through Edfu was wild.  The horse carriages were running down the hill, swerving in front of the bus and other cars.  Some horses ambled more slowly, whilst others raced nearly out of control, like they were trying to crash.  Wow.  Going to try to post a video that Neil Newhouse shot, but a lot of times those don't load well.  Fingers crossed.