We elected to go through On The Go Tours for a 9-day tour through Egypt. This was our experience on the sixth day which had us wrap up our felucca cruise of the Nile and beging to explore Kom Ombo and the temples at Edfu.
Day 6 – Kom Ombo and Edfu Temples
Today we said farewell to our felucca crew and drove through Nubian villages – waving at uniformed children walking to school – while en route to Kom Ombo Temple and Edfu Temple. Our history lesson continued, and with every “wow” moment we were thankful we booked the tour. Some countries and cities really don’t require a tour guide, but we want to stress again that we cannot imagine going around Egypt and not learning along the way. As with anything, you appreciate it more when you understand it fully.
From the beginning of the trip, H told us the creation story of the ancient Egyptians’ gods and goddesses. And today he finished a big part of it by showing us a battle scene carved into Edfu temple. He said, “Ok, my future Egyptologists. Here is an important scene, and I want you to tell me what’s going on. Except Mike, because he already knows everything.” [Full disclosure: Mike has a great memory and H was a very good teacher.] Each student with the exception of know-it-all-Mike pointed out something. “There’s Horus.” “He’s stabbing Seth.” Once again, the tour resembled a college course more than a booze cruise.
The sad thing about these temples is that many of them were defaced as a result of Egyptians changing religions over the years – a little by Christians and some more by Muslims before leaving the temples completely empty to face the elements on their own, often becoming covered by sand or water.
For more on Day 1-2 – Giza, click here.
For more on Day 3 – Aswan, click here.
For more on Day 4-5 – The Nile, click here.
For more on Day 7 – Valley of the Kings, Temple of Hatshepsut and Karnak Temple, click here.
For more on Day 8-9 – The Egyptian Museum and Cairo, click here.
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