Temple of Edfu, Egyptian temple in Edfu, Egypt
The Temple of Edfu is a sandstone temple on the west bank of the Nile, entered through a facade of two tall flat-topped towers covered in rows of shallow carved figures, with a deep doorway beneath a stone lintel. Its pillared hall, two transverse halls and barque sanctuary surrounded by chapels were begun on 23 August 237 BC and finished in 57 BC; the pylons, 36 m high, hold staircases and chambers lit through slots in the facade.
Construction began in the 3rd century BC under Ptolemaic rulers and took around 200 years to complete. The extended building period reflects how ambitious the project was and the resources invested by successive pharaohs to honor Horus.
Each year Hathor travelled south from her temple at Dendera to visit Horus at Edfu, and this sacred marriage was marked by a great festival and pilgrimage. The temple's inscribed texts also record the Sacred Drama of the conflict between Horus and Seth, translated by the Edfu Project. The city was called Apollonopolis Magna in Greek and Latin, after Horus identified with Apollo.
The temple stands on Edfu's west bank, entered from the east through the paved forecourt added in 2005. A lighting system installed in late 2006 allows evening visits. The ground is sandy and uneven, and staircases inside the pylons lead to upper chambers.
After its completion, the structure vanished under layers of sand and silt for many centuries, which actually protected the carvings and paintings inside from being worn away. Archaeologists uncovered it in the 1800s and today visitors can still see the original colors and details on the walls.
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