Travel through the heart of Upper Egypt on this fascinating full-day tour from Aswan to three of the Nile Valley’s most impressive ancient temples. Journey north along the scenic Nile to discover the remarkable Temple of Kom Ombo, uniquely dedicated to two gods, before continuing to the magnificent Temple of Horus at Edfu, one of the best-preserved temples in all of Egypt. Complete your adventure with a visit to the beautiful Temple of Khnum in Esna, renowned for its stunning Roman hypostyle hall and remarkably preserved astronomical carvings. Accompanied by a professional Egyptologist guide, you’ll uncover thousands of years of history, mythology, and architecture while traveling through picturesque Egyptian countryside. This tour is perfect for history lovers seeking to explore some of Egypt’s finest Greco-Roman monuments in a single unforgettable day.
The Temple of Kom Ombo is an unusual double temple built during the Ptolemaic dynasty in the Egyptian town of Kom Ombo.Some additions to it were later made during the Roman period. The building is unique because its ‘double’ design meant that there were courts, halls, sanctuaries and rooms duplicated for two sets of gods.The southern half of the temple was dedicated to the crocodile god Sobek, god of fertility and creator of the world with Hathor and Khonsu. Meanwhile, the northern part of the temple was dedicated to the falcon god Haroeris, also known as Horus the Elder, along “with Tasenetnofret (the Good Sister, a special form of Hathor) and Panebtawy (Lord of the Two Lands).The temple is atypical because everything is perfectly symmetrical along the main axis.
The temple was started by Ptolemy VI at the beginning of his reign and added to by other Ptolemys, most notably Ptolemy XIII who built the inner and outer hypostyle halls. The scene on the inner face of the rear wall of the temple is of particular interest, and “probably represents a set of surgical instruments.
Much of the temple has been destroyed by the Nile, earthquakes, and later builders who used its stones for other projects. Some of the reliefs inside were defaced by Copts who once used the temple as a church. All the temples buildings in the southern part of the plateau were cleared of debris and restored by Jacques de Morgan in 1893. A few of the three-hundred crocodile mummies discovered in the vicinity are displayed inside the temple.
Edfu was an important city in Upper Egypt, lying on the left bank of the Nile, about 100km south from Luxor. During the reign of the Old State, Edfu (the capital of the second province in Upper Egypt) enjoyed enormous prosperity. Nowadays, this city is known by its grand temple which was devoted to the worship of the great God of the Heavens falcon ‘Horus’, the God of Baholt town. This temple is considered one of the most important religious monuments in Egypt. During the reign of King Ptolomy III (237 B.C.), the construction of Edfu temple began, yet it was not finished until 57 B.C. because of some intrigues and plots hatched at Thebes at that time. The length of the temple is 137m, while its width is 79m and its height 376m. Tourists are undoubtedly fascinated by the wonderful condition of the perfectly preserved temple — its buildings, ceilings, halls, etc… are all complete and intact so that one might imagine seeing the priests and their assistants in their snow-white robes wondering here and there. Furthermore, the temple is surrounded by a number of secondary buildings attached to the temple, such as the ‘Mammsi’. It is noteworthy that the temple is characterized by an enormous quantity of inscriptions covering the walls
Esna is located on the left bank of the River Nile, about 55km south of Luxor. This temple was built by the Greek and Roman rulers and it was dedicated to the ram-headed god Khnum. The text tells us that the Eighteenth Family kings built this temple in the city and that another part was added by the kings of ‘Sais’ and the temple was finally finished by King Ptolomy. Moreover, during the reign of the Roman emperors , a hall with 24 columns was built to be the temple facade. This great Roman hall is the only trace left from the old temple. The other parts of the temple were destroyed or are buried underneath the modern city. It is also considered one of the most beautiful halls in Egypt because of its accurate dimensions, beautiful columns, the religious texts inscribed on its columns and exterior and interior walls, justifying the theories of the creation of the world and the origins of life. All these texts were inscribed during the reign of the two emperors ‘Tragan’ and ‘Hadrain’ during the second century A.D. The last of these inscriptions were added in the reign of ‘Dikius’ in 250 A.D.
Yes. The tour is suitable for families, couples, solo travelers, and history enthusiasts. It involves moderate walking on mostly flat surfaces, making it accessible for most visitors.
The tour lasts approximately 10 hours, starting at around 7:00 AM and returning to Aswan at approximately 5:00 PM.
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