Temple Run Part 1

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Although the Pyramids are the most famous constructions in Egypt, there many more incredible buildings that deserve recognition. In ancient Egypt, religion played a big part in everyday life. All over the country, there are many beautiful temples that have been preserved for centuries. Here are some of the incredible temples that we had the chance to visit.


Temple of Edfu

Temple of Edfu

Edfu is a temple dedicated to the falcon-headed god Horus. The temple itself actually has eleven names relating to war, as Horus was a very powerful god.



One of the most famous stories in Egyptian mythology is about Horus. Horus was the son of the gods Isis and Osiris. Osiris was the king of Egypt, and was murdered by his brother Seth as he wanted the throne for himself. When Horus grew up, he fought Seth for his rightful place on the throne and eventually won to become ruler of Egypt. The battle between the two gods is shown on the wall of the temple, with Seth in the form of a hippopotamus, which is a symbol for rebellion.

The beginning of the fight

There are 11 reliefs showing this fight to represent the 11 names of the temple.

The wall with the 11 boats

In the final relief, Seth as a hippo is shown to be chained up but not dead. This is done to show that although evil can be stopped, it can’t be completely killed.

Horus’ victory over Seth
Seth as a chained hippo

The reason for depicting Seth as a hippo is also symbolic. During the building of the temple, there were many rebellions throughout the country, so the carvings show the pharaoh who was believed to be the human embodiment of Horus, being victorious over the rebels.

Inside the temple, there are many carvings depicting the unification of Egypt. Around 3100 BC, Egypt was divided into two regions or kingdoms: Upper and Lower Egypt. Upper Egypt stretches from Cairo to Aswan, and Lower Egypt goes from Cairo to Alexandria.  Although geographically the regions should be named the other way around, the ancient Egyptians gave them those names because the Nile runs from south to north.

The map of Upper and Lower Egypt
https://www.thinglink.com/scene/616985083286388736

In the temple, Upper Egypt is represented by the lotus flower and Lower Egypt is represented by the papyrus plant. We now notice these two plants everywhere!

The lotus flower and papyrus plant

Inside the temple, when you look up, you can see beautiful painted ceilings.  One can only imagine what the painted temples looked like in their prime.

The painted temple ceiling

To add to the history and mystery, the ceilings are now black.  This was caused during the time of Roman rule in Egypt, when Christians took shelter in many Egyptian temples to escape persecution. The smoke from their torches turned the ceilings black, which is how many of them can be seen today.

The blackened ceiling
Pillars in the temple of Edfu

Kom Ombo


The temple of Kom Ombo


Kom Ombo is a temple dedicated to two of the ancient Egyptian gods Horus and Sobek. This temple is rare because most temples are dedicated to only one god. The temple was built during the Ptolemaic dynasty under the rule of Ptolemy VI. This pharaoh is shown in carvings all over the temple with various gods blessing and crowning him, and the pharaoh leaving offerings to the gods. Unfortunately, in later years the temple was ruined due to the rising water of the Nile and people taking blocks from the temple to build factories.

A carving of Horus (left) and Sobek (right)

The carvings on the walls depict not only gods and pharaohs, but ancient technology as well. Carved into one of the temple walls are various medical instruments used for surgery, such as a scalpel, needle, and a surgical hook. This shows how advanced the medical knowledge was at this time. In fact, the ancient Egyptians performed some of the first successful brain surgeries.

Carvings of medical instruments

Another impressive carving found in this temple is the festival calendar. The ancient Egyptians used symbols for numbers to determine which day of the year or which month the festival of a certain god would take place.



Outside of the temple is a big hole in the ground which looks like a well. This is actually a Nile Meter, which used to be connected to the Nile. By looking at the level of the water inside, the ancient Egyptians could tell whether there would be a drought or flood. They would also be able to tell the amount of taxes the king would receive based on an increase or decrease in agriculture. When the temple was used as a place of worship by the ancient Egyptians, a sacred crocodile lived in the Nile Meter and was taken care of by the priests.

The Nile Meter

Since crocodiles were sacred to the Egyptians, they were often mummified and buried in the same way as humans. At Kom Ombo, there was a crocodile museum with various mummified crocodiles that had been discovered. I found it interesting how so much time and effort went into the preservation of the crocodiles’ bodies.

Mummified crocodiles
http://www.ancient-origins.net/news-history-archaeology/2500-year-old-mummified-crocodile-yields-surprises-007031

Colossi of Memnon

The Colossi of Memnon are two giant statues of the pharaoh Amenhotep III. They used to be at the entrance to Amenhotep’s funerary temple, but the building was destroyed by the weather and people taking the blocks for construction, so the two statues are all that remain.

The Colossi of Memnon

During the time of Roman rule, it is said that the statues sung. This was caused by the wind blowing through cracks in the statues, but they were repaired around 199 BC, so they no longer make the singing sound.

Stay tuned for more awesomeness in Temple Run Part 2!


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Comments

10 responses to “Temple Run Part 1”

  1. Gail Lawlor Avatar
    Gail Lawlor

    Wow, thank you Mik for such a thorough an interesting tour of ancient Egypt. it is fascinating and I really enjoy reading all of the posts!!

    1. Mikhaila Avatar

      Hi,

      It was really great learning about ancient Egypt! I’ve been interested in the history of Egypt for a long time and having the chance to visit these sites in person was amazing.

  2. Very informative! Love the little extra nuggets of info. Beautiful pics. Uncle Andrew likes your title 😉

    1. Mikhaila Avatar

      Hi,

      There was always something interesting to learn! It was a great trip!

  3. Thanks, Mik, for such an interesting blog with wonderful pictures! Well done! It was excellent! Baba

    1. Mikhaila Avatar

      Hi Baba,

      Thank you for your comment! We had such a great time learning and exploring on our trip!

  4. Terry Gelinas Avatar
    Terry Gelinas

    Love your descriptions and explanations of the gods. I’m totally into geography (upper/lower Nile) – I think the Nubians are from the south/upper Egypt, correct?

    1. Mikhaila Avatar

      Hi,

      Yes, the Nubians do live in Upper Egypt, in Aswan. Their villages were moved there when the the Aswan Dam was built and Lake Nasser was formed.

  5. Fantastic write up about the temples. They are all so fascinating and unique in their own way. Thanks for sharing!

    1. Mikhaila Avatar

      Hi,

      Each temple was incredible! It’s amazing to think that they were all built without modern technology!

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