Our next stop was at the Temple of Horus in the small town of Edfu. After the Temple of Amun-Ra in Karnak, it is the largest temple in Egypt.
While walking to the entrance we saw a scorpion, but sadly he was too fast for a picture
Incredibly well-preserved pylon gate at the main entrance in the 110º sun
Inside the first courtyard
Giant granite sculpture of Hathor
Completing the hieroglyphs!
As someone who focuses on architecture (except for in my dissertation ironically), I was in awe of all the different capitals. The Egyptians carved their columns to resemble their earliest building materials of bundled reeds and papyrus stalks, and the capitals here beautifully evoke exotic leafs at the top. The vertical lines just below are meant to illustrate the stems, while the horizontal bands below them mimic reeds used to tie them all together.
Another beautiful example
I think this one is my favorite
The Temple of Horus is awarded the honor of being the best preserved temple in Egypt because its roof still survives in most areas
The intact ceiling gives a wonderful idea of what these temples would have been like during their use, something that is hard to get a feel for when walking around those without roofs in the bright sunlight
The artificial lighting created a very beautiful and moody atmosphere, similar to what it might have been like when the interior was illuminated only by torchlight
Tiny hieroglyphs
Little baboon on the outside that I thought was cute. He is about the size of a stick of gum.
19th century graffiti
I loved this exit sign. Donkeys to the right!
While walking to the entrance we saw a scorpion, but sadly he was too fast for a picture
Incredibly well-preserved pylon gate at the main entrance in the 110º sun
Inside the first courtyard
Giant granite sculpture of Hathor
Completing the hieroglyphs!
As someone who focuses on architecture (except for in my dissertation ironically), I was in awe of all the different capitals. The Egyptians carved their columns to resemble their earliest building materials of bundled reeds and papyrus stalks, and the capitals here beautifully evoke exotic leafs at the top. The vertical lines just below are meant to illustrate the stems, while the horizontal bands below them mimic reeds used to tie them all together.
Another beautiful example
I think this one is my favorite
The Temple of Horus is awarded the honor of being the best preserved temple in Egypt because its roof still survives in most areas
The intact ceiling gives a wonderful idea of what these temples would have been like during their use, something that is hard to get a feel for when walking around those without roofs in the bright sunlight
The artificial lighting created a very beautiful and moody atmosphere, similar to what it might have been like when the interior was illuminated only by torchlight
Tiny hieroglyphs
Little baboon on the outside that I thought was cute. He is about the size of a stick of gum.
19th century graffiti
I loved this exit sign. Donkeys to the right!
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