Temple of Edfu

This is a very old temple in Egypt.

It was built for a god named Horus. The temple is made of stone. For a long time, sand covered it. The sand was very deep. People worked to clear the sand away. Now, many people visit the temple. You can even see it at night with lights. It is a very special place to see.

The Temple of Edfu is a big stone shrine in Egypt.

It sits on the west bank of the Nile River. People built this temple for the god Horus. Construction began on August 23, 237 BC. It was finished in 57 BC. The temple was built by the Ptolemaic ruling family. It is one of the best kept temples in Egypt.

For many years, the temple was hidden. Sand and river mud covered it. The sand was 12 meters deep. Only the top of the entrance was visible. In 1860, a man named Auguste Mariette began to clear the sand. He worked to free the temple.

Today, many people visit the site. They come on boats on the Nile. The temple has a visitor center. It even has lights for night visits. The walls have many carvings. These tell stories about gods and the start of the world. One story says the gods designed the first temple. They used reeds to make it. The stone temple we see now is much larger. It is 36 meters tall. It is 79 meters long.

Caption: The large entrance to the Temple of Edfu.

The Temple of Edfu is a huge stone shrine in Egypt.

It sits on the west bank of the Nile River. This building was made to honor the god Horus. It is one of the best preserved temples in all of Egypt. The walls are covered in carvings. These carvings tell stories about myths and religion. They also show how people lived a long time ago.

Building the temple was a very long job. It began on August 23, 237 BC. The work lasted for many years. It was finally finished in 57 BC. The temple is made of sandstone. It is 36 meters tall. It is 79 meters long and 376 meters wide.

The temple was built during the Ptolemaic Kingdom. This was a time of great wealth. Many other temples were built during this same period. Some of those were in places like Dendera and Philae. The temple was started by a leader named Ptolemy III Euergetes. It was finished under a leader named Ptolemy XII Auletes. It was built on a spot where an older temple once stood.

For a long time, the temple was hidden from view.

Desert sand and river mud covered it. The sand was 12 meters deep. People even built houses on top of the temple grounds. A French group found it in 1798. Later, a man named Auguste Mariette began to clear the sand in 1860. Now, many tourists visit the site. They arrive on boats on the Nile. There is even a lighting system for night visits.

The temple walls tell a special story about the world. This is called a creation myth. It says the world was once covered in water. Then, land rose to the surface. Reeds grew there with the help of gods. The gods Thoth and Seshat designed the first temple. They used reeds instead of stone at first.

Many festivals happened at this temple. One big event was a sacred marriage. The goddess Hathor would travel from Dendera to visit Horus. This was a very important time for the people. The temple's stories also show a conflict between Horus and Seth. These old stories help us understand how people thought about the world. Even far away, the temple's style helped inspire new buildings.

The Temple of Edfu is a massive sandstone shrine located in Egypt. It sits on the west bank of the Nile River in the city of Edfu. This structure is one of the best preserved temples in the entire country. It served as a major religious center for the gods Horus and Hathor. The temple is important because its walls contain many detailed inscriptions. These carvings explain ancient myths, religious beliefs, and the history of the Hellenistic period.

The temple was built during the Ptolemaic Kingdom. This was a time of great prosperity and wealth in Egypt. Construction began on August 23, 237 BC, during the reign of Ptolemy III Euergetes. The massive project lasted for many decades. It was finally completed in 57 BC under the rule of Ptolemy XII Auletes. The temple was built on the site of an older, smaller temple. That earlier structure was oriented east to west, but the current temple faces north to south.

The architecture of the temple is quite complex and grand. It stands 36 meters high and 79 meters long. The width of the temple reaches 376 meters. The layout includes a pillared hall and two transverse halls. At the center is a barque sanctuary, which is a small room used to hold a sacred boat. This sanctuary is surrounded by nine different chapels. The temple is made primarily of sandstone, which allowed it to survive for so long.

Inside the temple, the walls tell a famous creation myth. This story describes how the world began when it was covered entirely by water. The myth says that land eventually rose to the surface. Reeds grew in this new land with the help of gods. The gods Thoth, who represents wisdom, and Seshat, who represents scripture, designed the first temple. They originally planned the temple to be made of reeds rather than stone. The gods even formed a living wall of 60 deities to protect the building.

The temple was also a place for many sacred festivals. One major event involved the goddess Hathor. She would travel south from her temple at Dendera to visit Horus at Edfu. This visit celebrated a sacred marriage and drew many pilgrims to the site. The inscriptions also describe a sacred drama. This drama showed the ancient conflict between the gods Horus and Seth. These stories helped the people understand the balance of the world.

For many centuries, the temple was almost completely hidden. Desert sand and river silt from the Nile covered the building. The sand reached a depth of 12 meters. Because it was buried, local people even built homes on top of the temple grounds. A French expedition identified the site in 1798. Later, in 1860, a French Egyptologist named Auguste Mariette began the work of clearing the sand. He worked to free the temple from the earth so it could be studied again.

Today, the Temple of Edfu is a major destination for tourism. Many riverboats cruising the Nile stop there to visit the site. In 2005, the temple area was updated with a new visitor center and a paved carpark. A lighting system was also added in late 2006. This allows people to visit the temple at night. The temple's design has even influenced architecture in other countries. For example, the Temple Works in Leeds, England, copied the style of the courtyard columns found at Edfu.