The Temple of Horus, an incredibly preserved temple, is located in Edfu, midway between Luxor and Aswan. Tourism in Egypt is in a steep decline, and our group benefited from that by being the only people at the Temple of Horus. As I looked around this amazing temple I was awed by its massive scale, it’s incredibly detailed hieroglyphs lining every wall, and the majesty of its antechambers, capped by the Sanctuary of Horus.
This panorama shows one of the alcoves off the inner hypostyle hall. You can see some of the twelve columns that fill the inner hypostyle hall and also parts of the burned ceiling. Historians are unsure if the burn marks indicate camp or cooking fire smoke or indicate an attempt to burn down the temple by Coptic Christians.
Notice the bats hanging from the ceiling as well. Walking into a few other alcoves with low-lying ceilings, I was surprised to turn around and see bats hanging less than two feet above me.
One major advantage to visiting Egypt at this time is the fact that there are no crowds. None. In fact, we were disappointed to share the temple when another tour group of about 15 people showed up. Normally this temple sees thousands of visitors a day. Being alone and exploring the Temple of Horus evicted a sense of wonderment that few people visiting Egypt will be able to experience. I’m glad I was able to feel the magical ambience in the rare emptiness of this space.
Pretty neat Brian, I would have hated the bats!
I’m not a big fan of bats either but it was pretty cool.
Love the hieroglyphs — suddenly makes the tiny tablets at the British Museum quaint and almost unimportant.
I still love the British Museum!
I’m glad you perfected your panorama photography. This looks awesome!
Thanks 🙂 I’m still learning though.