Aswan, Com Ombo & Edfu
The temples of Upper Egypt — Aswan, Kom Ombo and Edfu — a journey through ancient sacred architecture. (4 min read)
My first day in the south of Egypt I got to swim in the Nile, ride a camel, meditate in the desert and touch a crocodile. I am having many wonderful new experiences. Our extra time here meant we could also experience a feluca (sail boat) ride on the Nile at sunset, as well as visit the burial chambers of some Nubian nobles and a nearby Nubian village.
But the highlight of the day was a visit to the Temple of Kom Ombo, about 1.5 hours north of Aswan by ship. This temple was a healing centre and I could have spent the whole day there. The site is preserved because it was covered in sand until last century and many of the temple carvings are in beautiful condition. In some places there are coloured panels which hint at what it would have been like. I do not doubt there are still healing energies present. This is a double temple, with one side devoted to the light and the other its opposite.
Overnight our cruise ship travelled from Aswan to Edfu. I awoke as the sun was rising and it reflected beautifully on the Nile.
Edfu is the site of Temple of Horus – the falcon. Horus represents strength, victory and justice. He victoriously fought a fierce battle with his Uncle Set giving him the throne of Upper and Lower Egypt. When Horus’ eye was injured by Set it was replaced with a new one that enabled him to see a higher vision. Through this wound Horus became insightful. Horus shows us the battle we wage between our ego and our spirit – the fight between the light and dark aspects of the self.
Edfu is a huge temple and it is highly energised. I felt happy there, and although our visit was short and our meditation necessarily brief.
To reach the temple by horse and carriage we rode through an area that looks like an war zone. I think it is the poorest place I have ever visited. By contrast, I liked the temple very much, though the work was completed very quickly there.
As I type this we are sailing up the Nile to Luxor and it is very beautiful. It is lush and very different from the stereotypical images of Egypt. We eventually reach a lock which drops the boat about 3 metres in a little over a minute and then, after a bit more sailing, we are in Luxor.
Namaste.
© Paul McCarthy & Iluminar.au
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