The Temple of Kom Ombo
The Temple of Kom Ombo was built by the Ptolemaic dynasty and it was dedicated to the crocodile headed god Sobek and the falcon headed god Horus. The Ptolemy’s came late in the history of ancient Egypt and ruled for almost three hundred years after the empire was conquered by Alexander the Great. Although they originally came from Macedonia they assumed the customs and many of the beliefs of the ancient Egyptians.
The temple is located at the town of Kom Ombo which is a few miles north of Aswan. It was built on a dune overlooking the Nile and while it was started by Ptolemy VI back in the second century B.C. it was later added to by Ptolemy XIII and the Roman Augustus. It was originally a huge structure and the two halves are identical in terms of layout with the southern half dedicated to Sobek and the northern to Horus. Over the years the changing course of the Nile and local builders appropriating the stone for their own constructions have led to the general disintegration of the site. The Copts also used it as a church for a while and they defaced many of the reliefs inside.
The main temple was cleared in 1893 and it has been gradually restored since then although there hasn’t been much archaeological investigation in the area. The double temple structure has two entrances, two courts, two colonnades, two hypostyle halls and two sanctuaries. Egyptologists suspect there were probably two separate sets of priests as well. The walls feature purification scenes with the Pharaoh and there is an inventory of scared places and a scene depicting the Goddess Seshat. The ceiling features astronomical symbols and an image of Nut and some of the vibrant colours can still be seen.
The later addition of a shrine to Hathor added during Roman times was found filled with crocodile mummies. The crocodile was considered a scared animal and they used to proliferate in this part of the Nile, sunning themselves on the river banks. There are apparently plans to house the mummies in a museum nearby but there was no sign of them when we visited. In fact the only wildlife we encountered was a small black cat panting in the heat. We poured some water for him into one of the basins carved into the court which were originally meant for offerings to the gods and he greedily lapped it up.
The ruins of the temple are quite beautiful and there are loads of surviving reliefs carved deep into the walls. Sobek is featured along with Hathor and their child Khonsu and many other gods and goddesses appear along with a few pharaohs. Since the temple is located between Aswan and Edfu it is quieter than many of the other attractions and when we visited we got the place to ourselves. Approaching on the Nile it loomed into view imposingly and proved to be a fascinating place to explore although it isn’t huge so you won’t need long to investigate the whole site.
