Temple Of Edfu “Egyptian God Horus Build” Location, Building History, Who Built it & Why It’s Important

The temple located on the west bank of the Nile between Esna and Aswan in Edfu, Upper Egypt and is about 60 km north of Aswan, you'll find one of the best-preserved temples ever in Egypt, the Temple of Edfu, also known as Horus Temple.

Edfu's temple is considered a newbie compared to the ancient temples of Egypt; it was built during the Ptolemaic period between 237 and 57 BC. It was constructed during the Greco-Roman era in Egypt, but it kept the style of the Pharaohs. Edfu temple was a cult center of the falcon God Horus of Bedhet, Edfu's ancient name.

Edfu temple was built over 180 years; the construction started by Ptolemy III, and then it was completed later by Cleopatra's father, Neos Dionysos, that's 180 years apart. It was excavated in the mid-19th century by Auguste Mariette, a French Egyptologist. It was buried under centuries of sand, but that helped in preserving the temple too well. This new temple is a live image of how the temples would look like if they were built 2000 years ago only.

The temple of Edfu is famous for its inscriptions and texts on the walls that provided important information about the language myth and religion during the Hellenistic period in Egypt. The texts on the walls also provided details about the temple's construction and the preservation of this temple and others in the area.

The temples' walls also show essential scenes and inscriptions of the Sacred Drama between Horus and Seth. It also shows the Goddess Hathor of Dendara, the wife of Horus, they used to travel to each other each year, so the temple was a center of the cult of a triad of gods. Their marriage was celebrated twice a year, once in Edfu temple and once in Dendara temple; they had a son named Hor-Sama-Tawy.

The temple of Edfu was known in the old Greek documents as "Apollopolis Magna," as the Greeks identified Horus with their god, Apollo like they identified other Egyptian Gods with Greek ones in their mythology. The Egyptian God Horus is known for his falcon form, with his right sun eye representing power and his left moon eye that represents healing.

Don't miss visiting this well-preserved temple; it will make you feel like you traveled back in time and having a walk-in an ancient temple. You can see it while having a Nile Cruise between Luxor and Aswan, or even by bus, it is not far from both Luxor and Aswan.

Temple of Horus is open: Sun - Sat 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM