Riphenburg/Egypt: Kom Ombo (كوم أمبو), Edfu

Guide: I enjoyed Kasem as the guide for all my trips. He was very knowledgeable, polite, and ready to answer questions. He was a great conversationalist; and I learned so much about local Egyptian culture and life. He did have his opinions, such as Mubarak was good, a military ruler could answer some of Egypt's problems, Morsi didn't cause all of the current problems, a preference for males, etc. He had a dark prayer scar, zabiba (raisin in Arabic), and took his religion seriously. He is from the Hadeed tribe in Esna, although all of his present family, 9 brothers and sisters and himself, now live in Kom Ombu. His ancestors came from Saudi Arabia. He mentioned that tribes are still very important in Upper Egypt; and his tribe came to his defense when he ran into problems in Abu Simbel. He hopes to be getting married in April, although he gave all of his money to help his brother get married before the revolution thinking he could make a lot more; and the economy (especially the tourist trade) is suffering in Egypt right now. His fiancé is from Esna. He has wanted to be a tour guide since he was a child and watched guides take tourists around the monuments in his hometown of Kom Ombo. He mentioned that at birth, a verse from the Qur'an is recited in each ear of the newborn, usually by the mother's father-in-law. The Sebou (meaning the seventh) is one of Egypt's oldest and most cherished celebrations. The family gathers a week after the birth of a baby of either sex. On the seventh day, the Sebou celebration starts with the baby taking a bath and then getting dressed in a new outfit. The mother and the women of the family are responsible for preparing a feast. In Kasem's area, this seems to involve the preparation of many, many doves to last the family a long time. Certain rituals are performed for this happy and joyous occasion.

Kom Ombo: Kom Ombo is an agricultural town, thirty miles north of Aswan in the Aswan governorate with irrigated sugar cane and corn making up most of the agricultural industry. It has a huge sugar factory and refinery. The town itself officially has a population of 60,000, but is part of a much larger metropolitan area. Kasem showed me the area where the family of former King Idris of Libya (who are descendants of the Prophet Muhammad) currently live and the alley leading to his family home. The Temple of Kom Ombo, built on a high dune on the west bank of the Nile with beautiful views, is an unusual "paired" temple built during the Ptolemaic dynasty with some additions during Roman times. The structure has a dual design meaning that there were courts, halls, sanctuaries and rooms duplicated for two sets of gods. The southern half of the temple was dedicated to the crocodile god Sobek. The northern part of the temple was dedicated to the falcon god Haroeris, also known as Horus the Elder. The temple is unique since all features are perfectly symmetrical along the main axis.

Edfu: Edfu, on the west bank of the Nile, is 33 miles from Kom Ombo. The Nile is much wider here than in in Kom Ombo. The Temple of Edfu is one of the best preserved temples in Egypt. Edfu was one of several temples built during the Ptolemaic period, including Dendera, Esna, Kom Ombo and Philae. Dedicated to the falcon god Horus, building of the temple from sandstone blocks took place in the Ptolemaic period between 237 and 57 BCE. The temple of Edfu fell into disuse as a religious monument following Theodosius I's edict banning non-Christian worship within the Roman Empire in 391 CE. As elsewhere, many of the temple's carved reliefs were razed by followers of the Christian faith which came to dominate Egypt. The blackened ceiling of the hypostyle hall, visible today, is believed to be the result of arson intended to destroy religious imagery that was then considered pagan. Long Trip: The trip to see the temples at Kom Ombo and Edfu took 8 hours. We left the hotel at 7:00 AM and returned a little after 3:00 PM. It was a beautiful trip, much of it along the Nile by irrigated land and fields of palms, mangos, etc.. Crossing the bridge at Edfu, I could see how wide the Nile becomes at that point. At Kom Ombo, the river runs between steep and narrow banks of sandstone and in antiquity deposited little of its fertilizing silt on the barren shores.

Sobek at the Temple of Kom Ombo.

Neos Dionysos (Ptolemy XII [81-50 BC], the father of Cleopatra) is shown being purified by Thoth and Horus.

Woman giving birth relief in Temple of Kom Ombo.

One of the rooms for patients seeking treatment. The temple became a sanctuary for the ill who were seeking help by priests.

Medicinal eye of Horus.

Medical instruments relief at the Temple of Kom Ombo thought to be the first representation of medical instruments for performing surgery, including scalpels, curettes, forceps, dilator, scissors and medicine bottles dating from the days of Roman Egypt.

Temple relief.

Relief at Temple of Horus (Kom Ombo).

Columns of the Outer Hypostyle Hall.

A huge round vertical column with a staircase serving as a Nilometer lies near a well connected to this drainage system which provides water to Cleopatra's bath.

According to my guide, Cleopatra III used this bath surrounded by mirrors to treat a skin disease.

Relief at Kom Ombo.

Mummified crocodiles in Kom Ombo Museum, A few of the three hundred crocodile mummies discovered in the vicinity. The crocodile was held in honor by the people of Ombos (Greek name).