Edfu Attractions
The town of Edfu or ldfu, a market center with sugar factories and an old established pottery industry, lies on a slightly raised site some 65mi/100km south of Luxor on the west bank of the Nile (now spanned by a bridge opened in 1969), at the point where the valley begins to open out. It was the ancient Egyptian Tbot, Coptic Atbo, from which the modern name is derived. The Greeks called it Apollinopolis Magna after the sun god Horus-Apollo, who was particularly revered here, and made it the capital of the second (Apollinopolite) nome of Upper Egypt.
Horus, who according to the myth fought one of his great combats with Seth here, was known as "he of Behdet" (Behdet being probably a district of ancient Edfu). He was represented as a flying falcon, in human form with a falcon's head or as the winged sun.
Horus, who according to the myth fought one of his great combats with Seth here, was known as "he of Behdet" (Behdet being probably a district of ancient Edfu). He was represented as a flying falcon, in human form with a falcon's head or as the winged sun.
Read More
Temple of Horus
The Temple of Horus at Edfu is a massive, and well preserved structure. It was built between 237 and 212 B.C on the base of another temple. The story the temple's history is told in inscriptions on an enclosure wall.
Ancient City
To the west of the Temple of Horus high mounds of rubble mark the site of the ancient city. A number of excavations have been carried out here in recent years. Under the houses of the Arab and Coptic periods are remains of the Graeco-Roman period. In the houses were papyri as well as a variety of domestic equipment.
Bir Abbad
Bir Abbad is located at the point where the Wadi Ammerikba runs into the Wadi Miah. There are the remains of an ancient desert post with masons' marks.
Attractions in Other Popular Destinations
