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The town is known for the
major Ptolemaic temple, built between 237 BCE to 57 BCE. Of
all the temple remains in Egypt, the Temple of Horus at Edfu
is the most completely preserved. Built from sandstone blocks,
the huge Ptolemaic temple was constructed over the site of a
smaller New Kingdom temple, oriented east to west, facing
towards the river. The later structure faces north to south
and leaves the ruined remains of the older temple Pylon
(architecture) to be seen on the east side of the first court.
 The
remains of the ancient settlement of Edfu are situated about
50m to the west of the Ptolemaic temple - To the left of the
older temple Pylon. This settlement is known as Wetjeset-hor
and the classical Greek name was Apollinopolis Magna.
According to Notitia Dignitatum, part of Legio II Traiana
Fortis was camped in Apollonos superioris, which was the Roman
name for the town.
Although unassuming and unglamorous to the visiting tourists,
Tell Edfu is a monument that contains evidence of more
Egyptian history and is of more archaeological interest than
the Ptolemaic temple. Although major parts of the settlement
show severe signs of erosion, cut away or have been exposed
during sebakh-digging, enough is preserved to gain information
from as far back as the Predynastic Period. The remains of the
settlement (Tell) provides an insight into the development of
Edfu as a provincial town from the end of the Old Kingdom
until the Byzantine period. The settlement at Edfu was the
capital of the Second Upper Egypt Name, it flourished and
doubled in size around 3400 BCE and played an important role
within the region during the First Intermediate Period.
Interestingly, it is one of few settlements in southern Egypt
that flourished when the north, especially around the delta,
was in economic decline.
 Today,
the Tell Edfu monument is preserved in some areas up to 20m
high and contains complete archaeological sequences of
occupation dating to the Old Kingdom until the Graeco-Roman
period. So far, only the top layers of the tell containing the
Graeco-Roman settlement remains were published by a
Franco-Polish mission in the late 1930's (by Kazimierz
Michalowski and B. Bruyère and Bernard Mathieu). The three
elaborate reports on the archeaology of Tell Edfu, were only
partially published by the Franco-Polish mission. In 1954, a
second Polish mission, headed by Maria Ludwika Bernhard, also
explored Tell Edfu. Unfortunately, from the mid 1950's no new
detailed discoveries or thorough research has been completed
at the monument.
The site had also been
excavated by Henri Henne from the Institute for Egyptology in
Lille from 1921 to 1924.No larger remains dating earlier than
the 5th Dynasty have been found at Edfu. Its most ancient
cemetery comprised the mastabas of the Old Kingdom as well as
later tombs, and covers the area southwest of the precinct of
the great temple of Horus. Before the beginning of the New
Kingdom, the necropolis was transferred to Hager Edfu, to the
west, and then in the Late period to the south at Nag’ el-Hassaya.
The entire area was called Behedet. The god Horus was herein
worshipped as Horus Behedet.
 One
of these mastabas belonged to Isi, a local administrator, who,
it was quoted was the "great chief of the Nome of Edfu" in the
Sixth Dynasty. Isi lived during the reign of King Djedkare
Isesi of the Fifth and into the reign of Pepi I of the Sixth
Dynasties. He was an administrator, judge, chief of the royal
archives and a "Great One among the Tens of the South". Isi
later became a living god and was so worshipped during the
Middle Kingdom. As the Sixth Dynasty and the Old Kingdom drew
to a close, local regional governors and administrative nobles
took on a larger power in their areas, away from the royal
central authority.
The remains of one of seven small provincial step pyramids
built along the Nile Valley, is situated about 5km north of
Edfu near the west bank village of Naga el-Goneima. The
structure was built from rough reddish sandstone and rises to
a present height of 5.5m. The pyramid has been loosely
attributed to King Huni of Dynasty III. The purpose of these
pyramids is not known
The Horus Temple at Edfu
The Temple of Horus, which is considered the
best preserved temple in Egypt, stands on the west side of the
Nile. The temple was built during the reigns of six Ptolemie
kings and is dedicated to the falcon god Horus. Many reliefs
on the outside walls of the temple picture its construction.
It was begun in 237 BC and finished in 57 BC. The Edfu Temple
is not only the best preserved ancient temple in Egypt but
also the second largest after Karnak Temple.
It is believed that the temple was built on the
battleground of a fierce fight 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 very first
structure was a grass hut housing a statue of Horus built in
prehistoric times.
The temple contains a pylon of Ramses II which
stands in a 90 degrees angle to the current building. The main
building, which includes a great Hypostyle hall, was uncovered
by Mariette in the 1860s. There are numerous reliefs including
a depiction of the feast of the beautiful meeting, the annual
reunion between Horus and his wife Hathor. A colonnade and
various reliefs showing still the original color are just
outside the main temple. These images portray the birth ritual
of Harsomfus, son of Horus and Hathor.
The pylons of the main temple are about 36
meters high with typical scenes of the Pharaoh in battle with
his enemies. Within the pylons is the colonnade courtyard
which leads into the great hypostyle hall. On either side of
the courtyard are gates which lead to an area behind the
temple with inscriptions recording donations of land which
were probably transferred from demotic documents.
 There are also dramatic images depicting the
defeat of Seth by Horus. The façade of the first hypostyle
hall shows images honoring Horus and Hathor, and then there is
an immaculate three meters tall colossus of Horus as the
falcon god. Beyond the great hypostyle hall opens a second,
smaller hypostyle hall which leads to the "Chamber of the
Nile" with a water well, a place where the priests performed
ceremonies with pure holy water. Doors on the west side of the
room lead to a small laboratory with recipes engraved on the
walls for ointments and perfumes which were used daily to
anoint the statue of Horus.
To know more about the fascinating world
of ancient Egypt, come and visit the land of pharaohs
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