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

Desert Safari

 Continues from Bhurj Khaleefa and Dubai Mall 

In the third morning at Dubai we said bye to our good hosts. We’d earlier booked our tickets for the much appraised desert safari in the evening. We spent the morning with some inspiring company. 

We set to the desert safari around 3pm. The Eid holidays had given the organizers the best catch of the season. We saw a crowd of people waiting for the desert wagons as we reached the location. As we waited for the jeep to come, we just roamed around the desert mounds across us. Due to the rain in the previous night, the soil was moist and it felt like walking on the soil of a river bank.

Sunset during Desert Safari

The sun was setting with magnificence as we started our desert safari. After two steep rides, we reached the desert camp. It seems the organizers have reduced the driving time to one third of the original time. The rush of tourists also made it necessary for them to reduce the driving time.

The desert camp was crowded as we reached there. Interestingly, other than the free items, everything that we put our hands on was expensive. In the stalls of complimentary, there is a rush like bees. However, little Shreya took me away from all these hustle and bustle to the play area.  After some time, I started feeling bored of the little wing and slider. I had literally drag her away from enjoyment zone.

Shisha

Sreejith was having Shisha in the meanwhile.  We shared it for some time and I felt as if taking a good vaporizer. Shreya was getting adamant again and I was about to take her back to the play area.

Dharwish Dance

It was then, a Dharwish dancer came on to the stage. However I didn’t pay much attention to the dance as I was busy cajoling the screams of Shreya. Still, I don’t think I missed much here. The dance seemed very much similar to his contemporaries I’d seen at Bangalore shopping mall and at the Nile Cruise.

Belly dance

Then, it was time for the much awaited belly dance! I heard jeers and giggles as she appeared on the stage. However as she started moving, most of them fell silent. She was so graceful with her movements and I got convinced that belly dance is much alike any other art form.  I may also be able to look at these kinds of art forms from a different perspective after reading Memoirs of Geisha. The audience broke into a loud round of applause as she stopped.

The Dharwish dancers and belly dancers started taking turns on the stage and performed finally in a group. These eight dances comprised the best part of the desert safari.

In the meanwhile there was a long queue for the food. I checked one queue and left the attempt straight away. I and Shreya visited the empty mehendi stall and tried to put mehendi on her little hands. She admired it till she spotted Sreejith. As soon as she saw him, she demanded for his handkerchief and wiped the mehendi neatly away from her hands.

It was soon time to return! Our bus was crowded with Philippines. I remembered our host telling about increase in their arrival to Dubai. It seems they are fast replacing the Indians (Malayalees?)  from the domestic labors. Even the Indians prefer them for household work since they are more efficient than Indian workers.

Continues in Sahasra Nam