#37 Cruising to Aswan
After starting the Nile River cruise going southward from Luxor to Aswan, we had more free time to relax and watch the verdant riverbanks slide by. On this day in late March, it was almost too windy to sit on deck, but the winds eventually calmed. One of our stops on the Nile was to visit the Temple of Edfu, a well-preserved monument to one of Ancient Egypt’s most important deities, Horus.
Worshipped as the child of Isis and Osiris, Horus was depicted with the head – and often the body – of a falcon and was the ruler of the skies and the deity of the pharaohs. Built over the course of around 180 years, the Temple of Edfu was the work of the Ptolemies, beginning in 237 BC under Ptolemy III and finished around 57 BC.
After another few hours of sailing, we reached Kom Ombo near sunset. The Temple of Kom Ombo is a double temple in the Aswan region of Upper Egypt. It was constructed during the Ptolemaic dynasty, 180–47 BC. Some additions to it were later made during the Roman period. The guides will tell you that at the base of one of those nearby columns, Agatha Christie sat and formulated her ideas for her novel Death on the Nile.
Parts of the building complex was used as a medical clinic. That area of the building bears hieroglyphics and the earliest known depictions of surgical instruments. One can clearly make out birthing forceps used by the pre-cursors to modern OB-GYNs.
The southern half of the temple was dedicated to the crocodile god Sobek. Some of more than 300 crocodile mummies are displayed in a unique Crocodile Museum a short walk from the Temple. Some interesting pieces of crocodile art are also on display. I’m not certain, but I’m thinking the Crocodile Museum is a one of a kind experience.
The following day the ship docked in the city of Aswan and we toured sites in the vicinity including the St. Simone Monastery, The Aswan Damn, the Temple of Philae and had a lovely sunset felucca sail. The Temple of Philae was one of several relocated from areas that flooded over after the completion of the High Aswan Damn. The group had to board small boats for a 15 minute ride to the island to where the Temple of Philae now resides. The current temple complex was started by 30th-dynasty pharaoh Nectanebo I and added to by the rulers of the Greek, Roman and Byzantine periods that followed. The well-preserved Temple of Isis is the complex’s main attraction.
The Temple at Phillae picture by Joan
After some time for a refreshment and haggling with the vendors, we returned to our lavish hotel in Aswan, the Sofitel Legend Old Cataract Hotel. The early morning alarms were set for an early morning flight south to Abu Simbel. I have saved he best for last and my last installment is to follow. My last installment is coming soon.
