Temple of Edfu
| Temple of Edfu | ||||
 The main entrance of Edfu Temple showing the first pylon |
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| Monument information | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Temple | |||
| Location | Egypt | |||
| Nome | Wetjes-Hor | |||
| Hieroglyphic name |
(Bḥd.t) |
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| Deity | Horus (primary), Hathor, Harsomtus | |||
| Historical information | ||||
| Period | Graeco-Roman Period | |||
| Dynasty | Ptolemaic Dynasty | |||
| Construction start date | August 23, 237 BCE | |||
| Completion date | 57 BCE | |||
| Architectural description | ||||
| Construction material | Sandstone | |||
| Height | 36 meters | |||
| Width | 3
76 meters |
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| Length | 79 meters | |||
(Bḥd.t)
76 meters
The Temple of Edfu is an ancient Egyptian temple, located on the west bank of the Nile in Edfu, Upper Egypt. The city was known in Greco-Roman times as Apollonopolis Magna, after the chief god Horus-Apollo. It is one of the best preserved shrines in Egypt. The temple, dedicated to the falcon god Horus, was built in the Ptolemaic period between 237 and 57 BC. The inscriptions on its walls provide important information on language, myth and religion during the Greco-Roman period in ancient Egypt. In particular, the Temple's inscribed building texts "provide details [both] of its construction, and also preserve information about the mythical interpretation of this and all other temples as the Island of Creation." There are also "important scenes and inscriptions of the Sacred Drama which related the age-old conflict between Horus and Seth." They are translated by the German Edfu-Project.
Edfu was one of several temples built during the Ptolemaic period, including Dendera, Esna, Kom Ombo and Philae. Its size reflects the relative prosperity of the time. The present temple, which was begun "on 23 August 237 BC, initially consisted of a pillared hall, two transverse halls, and a barque sanctuary surrounded by chapels." The building was started during the reign of Ptolemy III and completed in 57 BC under Ptolemy XII. It was built on the site of an earlier, smaller temple also dedicated to Horus, although the previous structure was oriented east-west rather than north-south as in the present site. A ruined pylon lies just to the east of the current temple; inscriptional evidence has been found indicating a building program under the New Kingdom rulers Ramesses I, Seti I and Ramesses II.
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