Edfe Temple
This page contains information on Edfu Temple Background, Opening and admission times and how to get there
Background
Situated on a mound at the banks of the River Nile about mid way between Luxor and Aswan stands the Edfu Temple, one of the most perfectly preserved examples of a Ptolemic temple anywhere in Egypt.
Edfu Temple's construction began under Ptolemy the 3rd, and was completed by Ptolemy the 8th 200 years later in 37BC.
Buried by sand until archaeologists uncovered it in the 1860s, the Edfu temple is second in grandeur only to Karnak.
Also known as the Temple of Horus, Edfu is dedicated to the falcon headed sun god and purportedly sits on the site of a mythical battle between Horus and his uncle Seth.
According to the story, Horus’s father Osiris was murdered by his brother Seth, who cut up his body and spread it across Egypt except for the penis which was fed to a crocodile.
Isis, Seth's mother, was so distraught she search Egypt and collected together the missing body part. Having gathered them all together (including the penis) she was able to resurrect Osiris long enough to conceive a baby Horus.
Wanting to avenge his father death, a grown up Horus tracked down Uncle Seth and engaged him in bitter battle. During the course of fight, Horus lost an eye and more alarmingly, Seth lost his testicles.
At this point Isis intervened. Seth proclaimed Horus the victor, and was forever banished.
Horus was considered to be the first pharaoh, and all subsequent pharaohs claimed to be reincarnations of Horus.
Admission Prices and Opening Times
Entrance to the site costs 40 Egyptian pounds, and the site is open between 6am - 5pm during the summer and 7am - 4pm during the winter.
How to get to Edfu Temple?
Edfu Temple is usually reached as part of a Nile cruise travelling between Luxur and Aswan. It is also possible to travel by coach or train to the site. Coaches/taxis travel as part of a police convoy to Luxur (2hours) and Aswan (1.5hours) and are therefore restricted to convoy times.
Trains run four time a day (approx) with direct routes to Luxor (1.5hrs), Aswan (1hr40mins), Kom Ombo (50minutes), Isna (45minutes) and Cairo (11hours).
Officially, tourists are only permitted to travel on the tourist sleeper trains however this is not always enforced.
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