The temples of ancient Egypt, built to worship the gods, are of great interest to scientists around the world. Every detail was made in accordance with the religious beliefs of the inhabitants.
The religious buildings that have survived to this day attract an incredible number of tourists who are thus acquainted with a bygone civilization.
Well-preserved building
Our story today will focus on the beautifully preserved monumental temple located in southern Egypt. The second largest religious complex is dedicated to the falcon- headed god Horus (Horus). It was his ancient architecture that was taken as a model in the design of the Egyptian hall of the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow.
The Temple of Horus in Edfu was discovered in 1860 by a French archaeological expedition led by O. Mariet. The guardian of the Egyptian Hall in the Louvre has done a great job of cleaning the building and restoring it.
Built over 180 years, the temple
This temple is the most important historical monument of Ancient Egypt. Scientists believe that the date of the beginning of its construction was 237 BC, and construction was carried out during the reign of the whole Ptolemaic dynasty and lasted almost 180 years.
All temples of Ancient Egypt consisted of classical elements that were inherent in the culture of the New Kingdom period. The sanctuary dedicated to the Mountain was rebuilt several times, and even the Roman emperor Augustus contributed to the modification of the temple.
Building architecture
On both sides of the entrance is a massive pylon, considered the second largest in Egypt. Behind it, in the open courtyard, surrounded by a small wall, there were general court hearings, and local residents expressed their complaints and discontent.
At the entrance to the Temple of Horus in Edfu there is a three-meter statue of a god in the form of a falcon, carved by skilled craftsmen from black granite. Through the halls supported by the columns, decorated with scenes of sacrifice, the path lay to the main sanctuary, in which there was a statue of a deity. Only pharaohs with great priests were allowed there.
Walls and ceilings decorated with scenes from the life of God
The inner and outer walls are decorated with scenes of the birth of Horus (Choir) in the presence of other celestials of ancient Egyptian culture, the marriage of Hathor, the birth of the son of Harsomt, conflict with the no less powerful god Seth and victory over him, as well as the coronation of the ruler of the whole world. In addition, they can read a report on the construction of the temple, dedicatory inscriptions and consider the local calendar.
High, more than 37-meter high ceilings of the temple are decorated with images of military scenes of the ruler of Ptolemy VIII, which the god Khor looks at.
Hieroglyphs important to science
The inscriptions of the sanctuary and sculptural reliefs are of great importance for Egyptian philologists, as they represent the largest collection of hieroglyphs of the Greco-Roman period.
They were found lists of books on construction, astronomy, geography, which were used by the Egyptians. The records decipher the secret meaning of the proportions of the erected building, referring to mythical plots. It is known that when creating the temple, the book of Imhotep, who was involved in the construction of the tomb of the pharaoh Djoser, was taken as a basis. Recipes for making incense and smoking mixtures used in secret ceremonies were also described.
Main sanctuary
At the end of the temple is a granite sanctuary surrounded by twelve halls, which housed a statue of a deity that the Greeks identified with Apollo. Her servants washed, smeared with incense, dressed and entertained her. It was there that the place of ritual sacrifices was located. Once in the granite tomb was the Rook of Eternity Mountain.
Painted on religious themes, the halls around the sanctuary with the statue included prayer rooms, and some of them were dedicated to Osiris himself.
Hathor statue visit
The servants of the temple of Dendera, in which Hathor was worshiped, sent her statue every summer in a special ceremonial ship to the city of Edfu (Egypt) located between Aswan and Luxor. So the wife paid a conjugal visit to her beloved husband Horus. And every night the clergy left the great gods alone.
Legendary place
The impressive Temple of Horus in Edfu, rebuilt from III to I century BC, was erected in a legendary place. According to legend, God was very upset by the death of his father Osiris and wanted to take revenge on the insidious offender. It was here that Horus and Seth fought, in which the patron saint of the pharaohs won.
The fact is that the most beautiful and majestic temple is not the first built on this territory. The first building was an ordinary hut woven from grass, and the penultimate, significantly inferior in size, was built of sandstone.
The Temple of Horus in Edfu as a monument of architecture and ancient history enjoys well-deserved attention of tourists from all over the globe, transported to the times of the great pharaohs and mysterious pyramids. The well-preserved religious building revealed many secrets to descendants interested in civilizations wiped out from the face of the earth.