The Temple of Horus at Edfu is the most well-preserved temple of Horus

Monument: Temple of Horus Date: 237–57 BC Address: Edfu Hours: 8:00–17:00 Ticket Price: 450 Egyptian Pounds (February 2024) Visit: Recommended 1 hour Highlights: In addition to being well-preserved, there are many must-see attractions... ① Falcon sculptures (made of black granite) ② Papyrus/Lotus alternating (32 columns in the offering courtyard) ③ 'The Feast of the Beautiful Meeting' reliefs in the offering courtyard ④ Chemical apparatus reliefs (in the great hypostyle hall) ⑤ The offering room's 242 steps leading to the rooftop ⑥ The outer hypostyle hall features reliefs of the construction process ⑦ The Narmer Palette, unearthed here, is considered the origin of Egyptology and is on display at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. ✓【The Local Hawk God of Upper Egypt】Around 3000 BC, Edfu was just a village cemetery, and Behdet (the old name of Edfu) was merely a center of worship for the local hawk god. ✓【Greeks Imitating Ancient Egypt】In 237 BC, Ptolemy III ordered the construction of the greatest temple dedicated to the falcon god Horus on the site of an old New Kingdom temple, continuing the architectural style of the Pharaonic era. However, the construction lasted 180 years, until it was completed under Ptolemy XII. The reliefs feature Greek Ptolemaic kings dressed in Pharaonic attire performing ancient Egyptian rituals. ✓【The Most Well-Preserved Temple】After the fall of the Ptolemaic dynasty, the worship of other gods was prohibited, and the temple was completely buried in sand. The Temple of Horus at Edfu, built on the highlands of an open valley, was never affected by floods and is the most well-preserved ancient Egyptian temple, even its roof is intact. From the 242 steps of the offering room to the rooftop, one can overlook the panoramic view of the Nile and the surrounding farmland. The first antechamber is an offering room where fruits, flowers, wine, and dairy products are offered daily on the altar. ✓【A Screen Full of Horus Reliefs】Horus shaking hands with the king is a common theme, symbolizing that the king is an incarnation of Horus, the son of Osiris and Isis, and divine. ✓【Horus & Hathor】The courtyard is surrounded by 32 columns, each adorned with a patterned capital letter, and the surrounding walls are covered with reliefs. Inside the entrance, 'The Feast of the Beautiful Meeting' depicts Horus of Edfu and Hathor of Dendera visiting each other's temples annually, with a two-week national harvest festival held during this period in ancient Egypt. ✓【Protection of the Desert Serpent God】Since the construction of the new Temple of Horus at Edfu, the lintel usually features a pair of Horus's wings, accompanied by a pair of cobras, representing the help Horus received from the desert serpent god Wadjet during his growth. ✓【Black Granite Falcon】Under the 36-meter-high outer gate, a majestic black granite falcon sculpture of Horus guards the entrance. The giant relief depicts Ptolemy XII Neos Dionysos standing before Horus, grabbing the enemy's hair and smashing their skull, a symbol of the pharaohs' invincibility in battle.