Egypt has various exotic places to visit – diving in the Red Sea, ancient temple hopping, cruising the Nile, beaches, plenty of variety for all types of tourists. Our trip, however, focused on visiting Egypt’s most ancient structures – the Pyramids and Egypt’s famous temples.
Now, Egypt is chock-full of ancient temples, and I was a little worried that seeing so many temples in the short span of a week would be a bit of an overdose. Not so, because each temple we visited was so different. We didn’t have one moment of deja vu and loved each temple for its uniqueness.
Here is a list of the temples we visited and what we loved about them.
Abu Simbel
Abu Simbel is probably the most unique temple we visited. Unlike the rest of the temples we visited, this one was not built but carved into the mountainside. Also, they are massive, and there is an awe-inspiring aura about the place. It’s also very remote and with beautiful views of Lake Nasser. This is probably my most favorite temple.
Read more about Abu Simbel in my earlier blog post.
Philae temple
The temple of Philae is located on a small island off the city of Aswan. We had to take a small boat to get to this temple dedicated to Isis. All over its walls are inscriptions depicting the birth of Horus.
The approach by water is quite beautiful. Seen from the level of a small boat, the island, with its palms, colonnades, and pylons, rise majestically out of the river.
Temple of Kom Ombo
The Temple of Kom Ombo is an unusual double temple in the town of Kom Ombo. One part of this temple is dedicated to Horus (the son of Isis), and the second part is devoted to Sobek (the crocodile God). Next to the temple is the Crocodile museum that houses crocodile mummies.
I loved this temple’s focus on healing. In ancient days, there was a hospital attached to the temple. The walls depict many inscriptions on the temple showing their medical advancements – the scalpels, the surgical instruments, and so on. Our guide was super-knowledgeable, and I really loved that discussion we had about ancient healing. The weather (we went in the evening) was also lovely, so we just spent a lovely evening chatting among us.
The kids loved the crocodile mummy museum. It was a fun tour even if the crocodiles there were not as big as the Egyptian museum.
Fun fact. Did you know that the Nile crocodile never stops growing? They grow all their lives, and that’s why they reach such massive lengths.
Edfu temple
The temple of Edfu is a massive Egyptian temple dedicated to the falcon god Horus. This temple is second in size only to Karnak and was probably the best-preserved of all the Egyptian temples we visited.
Unlike other temples, the Edfu temple is not on the Nile river banks. So, we had to go a good deal interior into Edfu town. This we did via horse carriage. Yes, horse carriages are a prevalent form of transportation in Egypt, and I saw stables in many places during our trip.
Anyway, we took the horse carriage to the temple, and it was a fun experience.
The temple itself is magnificent.
There is a massive falcon outside the temple, and both Snubnose and I took turns posing with it.
This temple was very crowded, and we could barely hear our guide over the din of the rest of the tourists and their own guides. This kind of hampered our enjoyment of the place.
This experience made me thankful for the comparative quietness of the other temples we visited.
Luxor temple
Luxor Temple is located right in the center where modern-day Luxor is, the former place of the ancient city of Thebes, on the east bank of the Nile. We passed through a very crowded and festive market to get to this place. We were running a little late, and it was already sunset when we visited the temple, so I cannot share too much about it.
I remember that the temple looks magnificent lit up by night (they have a light and sound show too, but we didn’t stay back for it). The sunset is also glorious.
I have some photos of Luxor by night, but not at hand right now. I”ll share them on my Instagram soon. Btw, you should follow me there for lots of behind-the-scenes stuff, photos, and videos that don’t make it to this blog.
Follow my Instagram here.
Karnak temple
This is the big daddy of all the temples we visited. The Karnak temple complex is massive, with 3 main temples precincts and several other smaller temples. Visiting it is an overwhelming experience due to the incredible history and extent of the place. Karnak’s most famous and impressive feature is the hypostyle hall with its 134 massive columns spread over 16 rows, but that’s not all. You can also see the obelisks and the sacred lake, among other things.
Unfortunately, there was a storm while we were there, and we spent most of our time there huddling at the cafe drinking Turkish coffee (not a bad way to kill time, but still). It was our first experience of a sandstorm, and it was quite the experience, covering our heads, ears, and eyes from the swirling sand.
Still, it settled down in a short while, and we did a quick round of the place but couldn’t actually do justice to it.
Here is a photo of the famous avenue of Rams that leads out of Karnak temple. Luxor temple also has a similar avenue of Sphinxes.
Btw, here is a lovely resource on Karnak and Egypt in general. This website really gives you a detailed picture of what life must have been like in ancient times.
Hatshepsut temple
Last but not least in this feature is the Hatshepsut temple dedicated to Egypt’s female monarch Hatshepsut.
Hatshepsut was one of the first female Pharaohs of Egypt, and her temple is the highlight of a complex of 3 mortuary temples known as Deir el-Bahari. This temple built at the bottom of a cliff face has a spectacular background. This temple is located very close to the Valley of the Kings, on the west bank of the Nile.
It was scorching the day we were visiting, and you can make that out in the photo above. The light is really harsh, and Snubnose is looking totally wiped out.
But there’s no denying the magnificence of the place.
The interiors of the place weren’t that impressive. I couldn’t get over the exterior and spent most of my time wandering outdoors in the heat, taking multiple photos of the place.
I don’t really think I did justice to the place, though.
Overall Thoughts
It might seem like we did many temples in the space of a few days, but really we didn’t feel it was monotonous at all. For one, our guide was very knowledgeable, and he told us many interesting stories about those ancient times (a good guide is key to a good Egypt trip). Also, each temple was so different architecturally, making each temple visit fresh. Really truly incredible monuments!
I hope you enjoyed this long post on temples in Egypt.
If you have any questions on our trip or itinerary, leave a message in the comments or email me, I”ll get back with details.
Amazing pictures!