Temple of Horus at Edfu, Egypt: Layout and Points of Interest

The Temple of Horus is constructed out of sandstone blocks and, despite being commissioned by the Ptolemies, was designed to replicate the building traditions of the earlier pharaonic eras. As a result, it provides an invaluable insight into architectural details that have since been lost at earlier temples like Luxor and Karnak. Visitors enter through the imposing, monumental gateway, which stands over 118 feet tall and is flanked on either side by granite statues of Horus in his falcon form. On the gate itself, towering reliefs depict Ptolemy XII Auletes as smiting his enemies while Horus looks on. Step through the pylon and into the great courtyard, where 32 columns line three sides of an open space that would once have been used for religious ceremonies. More reliefs decorate the walls of the courtyard, with one of particular interest showing the annual meeting of Horus and his wife, Hathor, who came to visit from her temple at Dendera. On the other side of the courtyard, a second entrance leads into the outer and inner hypostyle halls. Unlike most of Egypt’s older temples, these halls' ceilings are still intact, adding an incredible sense of atmosphere to the experience of stepping inside. Twelve columns support both hypostyle halls. The outer hall includes two chambers to the left and right, one of which served as a library for religious manuscripts and the other of which was the Hall of Consecrations. One of the chambers leading off the inner hypostyle hall would have served as a laboratory for preparing incenses and ritual perfumes. Beyond the hypostyle halls lie the first and second antechambers, where temple priests would have left Horus's offerings. The holiest place in the temple, the sanctuary, is accessed through these antechambers and still houses the polished granite shrine upon which the gold cult statue of Horus would once have stood. The wooden barque (used to carry the statue during festivals) is a replica of the original, now on display at the Louvre Museum in Paris. Also of interest in the temple grounds is the Nilometer, used to measure the river’s water level, predict the success of the coming harvest, and the ruined pylon belonging to the earlier New Kingdom temple that the current structure replaced.