The metropolis out of Edfu, to the western bank of one’s Nile 56km southern of Esna and you may 105km north out of Aswan, try today an essential center having sugar manufacturing and ceramic-and work out. The website out of Edfu Tell was called Wetjeset-hor (classical identity Apollinopolis Magna), the place where the newest god Horus is worshipped and where the battle ranging from Horus with his conventional adversary Seth inside the ancient mythology took place. Although it try well covered from the wilderness sand and you may human settlement debris, Edfu temple are visited by many people very early travelers. The new sand keeps helped to preserve the structure which was receive to get nearly totally unchanged when it was eliminated and you will excavated by the Auguste Mariette on 1860s.
The current city comes their term in the old Egyptian Djeba which was mainly based on a good mound into the east financial
Of all the forehead stays in the Egypt, the fresh new Forehead away from Horus within Edfu is one of better-preserved in addition to singular we realize having become finished. Constructed from sandstone reduces the massive Ptolemaic forehead try constructed more than this site off a smaller before temple, founded eastern to help you western, into lake. The fresh later on framework faces north to help you southern area and you may departs brand new GrДЌka Еѕene su prekrasne destroyed stays of one’s old forehead pylon to be seen with the eastern section of the earliest judge. Out of strengthening texts from inside the later on Ptolemaic forehead and that survives today, we know that this is actually begun because of the Ptolemy III Euergetes I within the 237 BC, however, was not done up until 57 BC.
Little is well known regarding the very first forehead off Horus on Edfu, but there is inscriptional research that This new Empire rulers Seti I, Rameses II and you will III did remodeling indeed there
Up until now, folks contacted new forehead prior the huge enclosure wall structure to the west front, carved that have data of one’s Ptolemaic leaders providing to different deities. There can be now a freshly built advisor park, cafeteria and open-sky museum that leads right to the leading of forehead. The initial design we arrive at, at the southern-west area until the great forehead pylon, was a rectangular colonnaded strengthening unusual in order to Graeco-Roman temples, also known as good mammisi or delivery-domestic, made to celebrate brand new divine birth of Horus. The fresh new Roman mammisi on Dendera was modelled about this build. Reliefs reveal the newest god Bes, beginning views in addition to newborn son off Horus and you will Hathor, Ihi (Harsomptus), nursed by the Hathor regarding marshes.
Carvings to your substantial twin towers of 36m highest entry pylon are nearly echo pictures of every other towards the traditional moments of the king smiting his enemies just before Horus. We could also clearly comprehend the mast grooves into flags which would enjoys fluttered on entrances. A couple statues of one’s Horus falcon sit up until the fundamental gateway. From inside the entrance are a paved courtyard flanked because of the colonnades with the the fresh new eastern and you can western as well as on the newest south and this depicts recovery carvings of one’s ‘Banquet of your own Stunning Meeting’. It was an extended and you may important festival the spot where the cult sculpture away from Hathor off Dendera was delivered to Edfu towards the a barge which have much advanced routine and you can occasion, to fulfill their own consort Horus due to their yearly reunion. Almost every other ceremonies of your own festival is visible inside the walls of your courtyard.
To come ‘s the main temple facade facing which really stands brand new popular huge black colored granite sculpture from Horus because the good falcon, using brand new double top out-of Upper and lower Egypt. The fresh new facade has actually display wall space with engaged columns about common sort of Later Period and you can Ptolemaic temples.