Edfu is north of Kom Ombo. It is the most well preserved temple in Egypt. It is on the west side of the Nile, where all of the tombs are.

Edfu was called Behdet by the ancient Egyptians. Sometimes it was called the "Exaltation of Horus".

Edfu still has most of the original pieces. Most of it is still covered. Inside the air is stale and hieroglyphs cover the walls. There are many chambers which are connected by halls. Many of these rooms still have the paint that was put on 2,000 years ago. In front of the covered rooms is a giant courtyard, surrounded by towering walls. The floor is paved with stone. It is a very awesome sight.

Sightseeing in Edfu

The Temple of Horus: Dedicated to Horus, the falcon headed god, the temple was built during the reigns of six Ptolemies. We have a great deal of information about its construction from reliefs on outer areas. It was begun in 237 BC by Ptolemy III Euergetes I and was finished in 57 BC. Most of the work continued throughout this period with a brief interlude of 20 years while there was unrest during the period of Ptolemy IV and Ptolemy V-Epiphanes. This is not only the best preserved ancient temple in Egypt, but the second largest after Karnak. It was believed that the temple was built on the site of the great battle between Horus and Seth. Hence, the current temple was but the last in a long series of temples build on this location. It is said that the original structure housing a statue of Horus was a grass hut built in prehistoric times. At any rate, there is an earlier and smaller pylon of Ramses II which sits at a 90 degree angle to the current building.