Exploring Jordan and Egypt

Previous Day Prev P

Next Day Next N

Thursday, 3 March 2022 - Woke to a sunrise over Kom Ombo and explored the double Temple of Kom Ombo dedicated to Sobek and Horus with its detailed reliefs and statues, visited the nearby Crocodile Museum displaying mummified crocodiles and Sobek statues, then sailed a short distance up the Nile to Aswan, toured a Nubian village by motorboat observing local flora and birds, and finished the day with High Tea at the historic Old Cataract Hotel before returning to the boat for cocktails and dinner.

egypt2022 — When we awakened there was a pretty sunrise off one side of the boat and the ruins of Kom Ombo on the other side. The Nile has not moved far from the Temple of Kom Ombo.

egypt2022 — Just a few steps off the boat is the Temple of Kom Ombo - it is an unusual temple as it a double temple dedicated to Sobek, the crocodile-headed god, and Horus the falcon-headed god and was built about 100 BC.

The southern half of the temple is dedicated to Sobek, associated with pharaonic power, fertility and military prowess, as well as protection against the dangers of the Nile. And, the northern half is dedicated to Haroeris ("Horus the Elder") who served many functions but most notably god of kingship and the sky.

egypt2022 — Virginia Ann and Cal in front of the Temple of Kom Ombo.

egypt2022 — Cal outside the Temple of Kom Ombo scampering around taking pictures.

egypt2022 — Sobek relief with other gods.

egypt2022 — Sobek on the outside wall of Kom Ombo.

egypt2022 — Well preserved column in front of the Kom Ombo Temple. It is still amazing that this art is so well preserved after more than 2000 years.

egypt2022 — The ancient Egyptians sought the protection of Sobek against the dangers of the Nile, in particular crocodiles. Therefore, it is only natural that the cult centers of this god were established in areas infested with crocodiles.

egypt2022 — On the other wall is Horus - the falcon headed god.

egypt2022 — Several gods as animals - Thoth, Horus, and Anubis

egypt2022 — Thoth became credited by the ancient Egyptians as the inventor of writing (hieroglyphs), and was also considered to have been the scribe of the underworld. For this reason, Thoth was universally worshipped by ancient Egyptian scribes.

egypt2022 — Since Horus was credited to be the sky, he also included the Sun and Moon. Egyptians believed that the Sun was his right eye and the Moon his left, and that they traversed the sky when he flew across it.

egypt2022 — Maahes - the lion headed god. Considered to have powerful attributes, feline deities were associated with the pharaohs, and became patrons of Egypt. The male lion hieroglyphic was used in words such as "prince", "strength", and "power".

egypt2022 — Vultures flying in the sky - underneath a doorway.

egypt2022 — This guy was hanging around the Kom Ombo in the middle of the site. We are positive he was hoping to pose for pictures for a tip. Cal snapped this one and then asked him to pose - we like this one better. So, we left him a small tip for his smile.

egypt2022 — They must not have found the upper part of the wall - yet...

egypt2022 — Hieroglyphics on the temple wall.

egypt2022 — A very ancient home for this little bird.

egypt2022 — Cute little crocodile in the hieroglyphics.

egypt2022 — Many of the gods and one of the pharaohs.

egypt2022 — Next to the Temple of Kom Ombo is the Crocodile Museum.

22 of the three hundred crocodile mummies discovered in the vicinity are displayed in The Crocodile Museum.

egypt2022 — A small statue of Sobek is also on display. He is wearing a headdress of ram horns surrounded by a sun disk and feathers.

egypt2022 — We then sailed up the Nile to Aswan which was not very far.

This is a watch tower on top of the hill outside the city.

egypt2022 — A sail boat on the Nile called a felucca. We would get to ride in one a few days later.

egypt2022 — A Nubian village on an island in the Nile.

egypt2022 — We took a small motorboat on a bird watching excursion. The biologist pointed out the flora in the area - bougainvillea, cacti, acacia, jacaranda, and eucalyptus all reminded us of Phoenix.

Cal had fun trying to catch the birds flying - this is a Blue Heron.

egypt2022 — A Pied Kingfisher hovering prior to diving into the River Nile for a fish.

egypt2022 — A heron on the shore. While the boat ride was for bird watching it was not great for taking pictures. The boat captain did not have a consistent way of moving the boat.

egypt2022 — The Mausoleum of Aga Khan was built by his father for Aga Khan III who died in 1957.

The mausoleum is built of pink limestone.

egypt2022 — We had some time to get presentable and then headed over to the Old Cataract Hotel for High Tea. The Cataract Hotel was built in 1899 by Thomas Cook to house European travelers.

It is here that Agatha Christie set portions of her novel "Death on the Nile" at this hotel. Some of the scenes in the 1978 film from this novel were shot at the hotel.

Virginia Ann is with Gio Postelnek who was one of the friends we met on the trip.

egypt2022 — High Tea was quite a spread - lots of finger sandwiches, sweets and hot tea. This is the view of the Nile from our table. It was very fun.

egypt2022 — Back to the boat for cocktails before dinner. We really liked the local beer Sakara

Previous Day Prev P

Next Day Next N

Top

Top

Cal and VA | Adventures | Jordan/Egypt

© Cal and Virginia Ann Holman
All Rights Reserved 2000-2025 Do not use without permission.
Privacy Policy - Terms

Modified last on 2025-12-26