Into the Domain of Hawk-Edfu Temple

Continues from Kom Ombo Temple- A Visit to the Crocodiles and the Hawks

It was afternoon by the time we took the halt at Edfu. Fatima had come with us from Aswan in assisting our visit to the Edfu Temple. The sun was blazing hot as we’d started from the cruise in an old horse cart to Edfu.

Entrance to Edfu temple

As we reached the temple, the stone floors were burning hot. My head was sleepy after a heavy lunch and needed much persuasion to move from the shades into the burning courtyard. We crossed the courtyard and entered into the temple. 

At the ruins of Edfu Temple

At the other side of the temple entrance were some mud hills in their ruined state. Fatima explained that the Ptolemaic period temple was often threatened by the annual floods in the Nile. When the time of worshippers declined, Nile took its advantage and deposited the river silt on the temple. Later, the native people started to have their own homes, right from the temple courtyard. However, the temple was recovered in 1798 without much damage.

In front of the Hawk Guard

Two mighty falcon giants, bigger than human size and made in granite, guarded the temple entrance. Many pillars with lotus and Papyrus designs adorned the entrance hall of Edfu temple also. The ancient paintings depicting the age old conflict between Horace and Seth were strewn over the walls. Though the ancient colours retained their charm, the faces of the characters were scraped out by the invaders.

There was great significance for the Nile in relation with the temple of Edfu. In the temple days, huge boats sailed across the Nile carrying the supplies for the temple. There are remains of huge barns in the temple, where Egyptians had once stored their grains. The existing huge boat in the shrine was once used by the ancient priests to accompany Horace in his divine trips.

The boat at the shrine

It seems the entry for normal people into the temple were limited only till the entrance gates. It was mandatory for the priest to take a bath before entering the temple. The entry to the shrine was limited solely to the priests and even the King had to stop in front of the shrine. Well, this was not a new custom for me who has grown up in place that still follows these rules.

Edfu temple corridors

After spending some time in front of the shrine, we climbed to the first floor of the temple. Many doves have taken place of the falcons on these days. We climbed down the mighty corridors that surround the temple. In the ancient days of war, the temple also served as a hideout for the native warriors. The corridors were a strong protection cover for them on those days.

The heat was fading a bit as we came out of the temple. We passed many stalls selling native attires. Fatima suggested us to get some dresses on discount, if at all we are taking part in the Galapia Performance in the cruise. We didn’t!

Fatima bid us good bye at the cruise. We are sailing to Luxor on the same night and a new guide will assist us there. It is always a bit sad to part forever!

Continues inThe Nile: Unsurpassed Expressions of Waves

Kom Ombo Temple- A Visit to the Crocodiles and the Hawks

Continues from The Evening Rays of Egypt

We were in the hangover of a deep sleep in the next morning.  The scheduled Nubian show on the previous night was cancelled and replaced by Dharwish dance and Belly dance. We came back late from the performance and collapsed into the bed. The Spanish tourists were in the midst of their breakfast as we reached the dining hall. We had to really hurry with the Egyptian breakfast not to be delayed in our schedule to visit the Kom Ombo temple.

Fatima was ready at the desk by the time we reached the reception. We took a short walk from the cruise to the Kom Ombo temple than taking the taxi. The temple dedicated to the crocodile god Sobek and the hawk god Horace, stood at the bend of the Nile. While we walked to the temple Fatima gave the information that, the pavement where we walked, had once been the place for crocodiles to bask in the sun!

The tall entrance to the temple itself claimed that the structure hold not only one powerful existence but more than that. We first entered into the court of Sobek, dense with huge pillars. An uneven number of fifteen pillars were arranged in a triple row there. Some of them were destroyed but still behold the image of Sobek on them. 

A pillar with the image of Sobek

The Image of Childbirth

It seems that the ancient Egyptians considered the sanctuary of Sobek as an ideal place for childbirths and surgeries. Many images on the wall, depicting these scenes asserted this concept. 

Fatima ushered us to a well near the temple where once Sobek had ruled. The myth is that the guardians of many infertile women had used to send those women to this domain of Sobek. Without any doubt, the women would be fertile by the next morning! I really felt dizzy looking into the well which, was littered with cigarette butts and beer bottles.

Wall Paintings

Ancient Egyptian Calendar

The northern part of the temple was dedicated to the falcon god Horace the elder. There were beautiful paintings of Horace in ancient colours at the roof of the temple. On the walls of the temple ancient calendars written in hieroglyphics still remained accurate. Ancient Egyptians calculated the festivals depending on these calendars. The backside of the temple was almost annihilated owing to annual floods in the Nile, earthquakes and invaders. However, there still remained ancient wall reliefs escaped from the traitors against preservation.

Wind blew heavily across our face as we entered back into the pillar hall.  It was time for us to return to the cruise and start our sail to Edfu.

A panoramic view of the Kom Ombo temple

As the cruise engine started to hum and wade through the waves in Nile, I looked across the window. Kom Ombo temple was getting distanced from our view. Somehow, I felt the view familiar! Isn’t it a similar view that I had at an ancient temple at the banks of a Kerala river?

Surprise for Shreya

Afterword: There was a surprise waiting for Shreya as we returned to the room on the previous night- a puppy made out of a towel. However it had changed into a bird and sitting at the head of Shreya’s cradle while we returned from Kom Ombo trip. What more? It was wearing the little one’s abandoned dress and cap.

Continues in Into the Domain of Hawk-Edfu Temple

The Evening Rays of Egypt!

Continues from Philae Temple-The Creation of God’s Home! 

The evening sun was turning golden in the horizon as we reached the banks of the Nile. The schedule was set for a felucca sail around the Elephantine Island. We started our sail from the straits of oldest hotel in Aswan where eminent personalities like Winston Churchill and Agatha Christie had reserved their rooms. As we started sailing, I looked back at the retracting scene of the hotel. How many characters must have born from Agatha’s pen while she peered into these waters from those windows!

The first scene we came across was the ruins of Yebu and the ancient nilometer. The nilometer was a structure constructed during Pharaonic times to measure the annual flood. Depending on this measurement, ancient Egyptians decided on the agricultural cycle of the year. Truly an admirable creation, their ruins clearly remain a proof for the ancient Egyptians' wisdom.

Our guide Fatima, who was from the elephantine island, was very passionate as she pointed out to the scenes of her home island. She was especially fond of the botanical garden of Lord Kitchner, a former counsel general in Egypt. It seems Lord Kitchner cradled a passion for flowers too. It seems the thickly green area is home for rare species of flora from all over the world.

Burial grounds of Agha Khan Mausoleum

We also sailed near the burial grounds of Agha Khan Mausoleum, the former leader of Ismaili Muslims. It was quite a scene to watch the beginning of Sahara desert on the very banks of the rich river of Nile. The ruins of Agha Khan Mansions boasted the luxuries of the land by their reflections on the evening waters. 

Feluccas

Grand old feluccas sailed in the direction of wind across the river. I expressed my desire to sail in them but immediately took it back. At a turn in the river a group of tourists where stuck in such a felucca in anticipation for the wind. 

As we reached back in our cruise, I asked the question, “Why this island is called Elephantine Island?” Fatima smiled, “There’s nothing to do with elephants in there. The island is believed to be in the shape of an elephant’s head.” With this, we parted with an agreement to meet next day morning.

Move n Pick hotel

Our evening tea was ready at the upper patio of the boat. The area was deserted as we reached there. The evening was turning misty under the crimson sun rays. On the opposite shore the only hotel in the Elephantine Island-Move n Pick- started to show off its row of lights. Though played around for some time, even little Shreya pondered over the beauty and kept silent. Much is awaiting us on the next day.





Continues in Kom Ombo Temple- A Visit to the Crocodiles and the Hawks

Philae Temple-The Creation of God’s Home!

 Continues from Temple of Philae-A Temple for Love! 

The sail in Felucca to the Philae temple under the hot afternoon sun was delightful and tiring at the same time. The beautiful island that houses the majestic Philae temple was not the original home for Isis worshippers. The temple was earlier at an island near which, Aswan High Dam is located now!

During the construction of Aswan High dam, a looming flood threatened the existence of Philae temple. The Egyptian authorities were not ready to risk the loss of one of their regal ancestries. They dismantled the temple into 9,600, pieces numbering each piece in accordance to their existence. After a devoted effort, the temple was resurrected in the present island.

As we sailed nearer, steep sides and lofty walls, carved in Syneite stones became more visible. It seems neither a bird flies above this island nor a fish approaches its shore.  We descended from the felucca and passed a group of Spaniards resembled to come out of the movie Bucket List.

Trojan's Kiosk at the Philae Temple

The first thing Fatima pointed to us was the Trojan’s Kiosk at the entrance. However we didn’t particularly felt anything owing to its obliterated condition. Architectural wealth from various eras, extending from Pharaohs to the Caesars, was scattered in the very yard of the temple. There were remains of the faded imageries of Hathor’s story encrypted during the origin of the temple in 380-362 BCE by the orders of King Nectanebo. However what attracted us the most was the row of pillars on the side of the temple.

Pillars at the Philae Temple

Shade and light played a singular effect on the floors of the temple yard. Owing to the pillars’ position near the tropic of Cancer during the time, the view was quite unique. The ancient pillars proudly displayed two designs on their heads- the designs of Papyrus and lotus! The pillars and its walls were painted in vivid natural colours during its origin. Though the colours have lost their brilliance to time and dryness, they still retained their beauty. Various combinations of palm branches and dhoum leaf on the pillars silently promoted the artistic talent of its creators.

After admiring the beauty of the structures, we entered into the temple. The temple entrance was carved with rich images from the story of Isis. The monumental gateway to the temple was called Propyla. They were pyramidal in form and colossal in dimensions. Two colossal lions in granite stood in front of the Propyla. In my Hindu mind, they acutely resembled the ‘Dwarapalakas’ of Indian temples.

Some paintings on the walls were scraped out by Christian invaders of early eras. At each corner of the shrine stood a monolithic worship hole, the cage for the sacred hawk. The inscriptions from the Macedonian era still shone bright surviving the invasions. 

Near the image of Isis

We entered the shrine with shining walls of rich symbolic imagery. The image of Isis with protective wings around her husband was the most beautiful among them. The picture didn’t come out well in our camera lens, but got encrypted in my memory. 

The Holy cross at the entrance of Philae Temple

Native men dressed in Galapia dress were posing for the foreign cameras as we came out of the shrine. Our guide pointed out an inscription amidst the Egyptian images. A divine cross! Anyway, it wasn’t natural but had inscribed by the Roman invaders. 

The evening breeze had started to blow as we roamed around the shrine. We sat at the edge of the temple in the backdrop of the Nile. In the distance, Nubian islands sidelined the blue waters. Blissful was the feeling to be in that soil for some memorable hours!

Continues in The Evening Rays of Egypt!

Temple of Philae-A Temple for Love!

Continues from Into The lap of Nile

Philae Temple

The afternoon sun shone bright and cloudless as we reached the shores of Nile.  The clear blue sky matched its radiance to the waters. The Felucca started its sail, taking us for the first sail in the Nile.

In the distance, we spotted some islands crowded with rocks. Fatima explained that they are dwelling place of Nubians, the tribal in Egypt. They rarely come out at this time of the day. 

As we were marvelling the unpolluted water of Nile, the water birds hopping on its surface and the Nubian village lining the shores, Fatima started to tell the story of Philae.

Once upon a time, the sky God Geb and the earth goddess Nut had four children: Osiris, Isis, Set and Nephys. Being the eldest and greatest among them, Osiris became the King of Egypt. He married his sister Isis and ruled the kingdom in excellent condition.

The good times didn’t last long. Set, who was jealous of his brother’s glory decided to attack his brother. Set transformed himself into a monster and killed Osiris. In order to prevent the resurrection of Osiris, Set cut Osiris body into different parts and distributed it among many areas in Egypt.

The Entrance to Philae temple with symbolic images of its story

Isis cried continuously over the loss of her husband. However, with the help of Nephys, wife of Set, Isis found out the body parts of Osiris. She assembled the body and with her great magical power blew life into her husband. 

Osiris went to the underworld and started his domain there. The couple had a son named Horace. As Horace grew up, he challenged Set for his rightful throne. After a series of matches, Horace emerged as the winner with the help of his mother Isis and father Osiris.

The temple of Philae is dedicated to Isis, the mother of Gods, Osiris, their son Horace and the family. It seems, the Osiris' body parts laid in the Nubian island across the Nile. The people sometimes tell that the flood in Nile happens when Isis cries for her husband. 

For centuries, the temple remained as the home for worshipers of Isis. The temple now remains as a major tourist spot beholding its majesty.

Continues in Philae Temple-The Creation of God’s Home!