Egypt 2003: Temple at Kom Ombo

The Temple of Kom Ombo can be seen from a distance. It is situated on top of a hillock, on the ancient site of Ombos, which was occupied from prehistoric times. The elevated position of the temple offers a splendid view (from the terrace, facing away from the sanctuary) of the modern village of Kom Ombo, which lies to the east, opposite the island of Mansuria on a bend in the Nile.

The great temple has some impressive ruins. When it was abandoned by the priests, it was engulfed by sand (the color of the stone is an indication of the level of sand on the inside). The Copts who inhabited it destroyed some of the reliefs, before the edifice was used as a quarry. Finally the Nile completed its destruction by eroding part of the temple's ancient terrace. In spite of the ravages of time and mankind, it is difficult to remain indifferent to the beauty of the site. The northern section is dedicated to the falcon-god Harwer, or "Horus the Elder", and the southern section to the crocodile-god Sobek. The two gods are accompanied by their "families": Harwer's wife Tesentnefert ("the Good Sister") and son Panebtawy ("Lord of the Two Lands") and Sobek's consort Hathor and son Khonsu, although the two triads often tend to merge and combine in an extremely complex theology. The overall layout is that of a divine temple during the Ptolemaic period.

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