6.45am, the sun is hot and intense... =(
Our cruise docked at the river bank of Edfu, and awaiting us was a row of kalesh. We hopped onto the carriage and we were on our way to the Temple of Horus.
Look how skinny his horse is!!
Kalesh = Horse carriage, and I felt like Cinderella
According to Ibrahim, Horus is the son of Osiris and Isis, and their story goes something like this – Isis and Osiris were siblings yet lovers, and they were ruling the upper Egypt.
Entrance of the Temple of Horus
Horus, the falcon god
Their brother, Seth ruled lower Egypt. Due to some reasons which I cannot remember, Seth killed Osiris by locking him in a chest on his birthday and dumped him into River Nile.
Craftings on the wall
Isis soon found out about Seth’s motive and searched for her husband’s body. She found him and managed to get herself pregnant with baby Horus. After Seth discover that Isis had found Osiris, he killed him the second time. This time, he cut Osiris into 14 pieces and scattered him all over Egypt.
Cobras is said to be able to defend the king since they don't blink for 24 hours and has double eyelid
Some random pillars that are quite photogenic
Smart ancient Egyptians already knew 3D craftings!! How many men are carrying the boat??
Sanctuary of Horus, and that's the boat
Somehow or other, Isis gained wings and flew all over Egypt, hoping to find all the 14 parts and revived Osiris for the second time. However, she only found 13 parts and the last part of Osiris remained lost forever. Want to know the 14th part???
Walls....
Ok, it was his sex organ.
Horus was a man with a falcon head and he grew up to revenge his father’s death. Horus was blinded by Seth after he dug out Horus’s eyes. However, another god managed to heal his eyes.
One last glance before leaving
The war between Horus and Seth lasted a long time until one day; Seth was driven out to the Sahara dessert.
That's the end of Seth, and we headed back to the cruise.
After the visit to the Temple of Horus in the morning, we started cruising southwards towards Kom Ombo which will take the next few hours.
Let’s play a game here. Spot 8 differences in the 2 photos.
I bet you are bored too!!
Ptolemaic Temple at Kom Ombo is dedicated to 2 gods, Horus and Sobek (Crocodile god). Sobek is the guard of god, and he is the symbol of strength and power. Sobek assisted Isis in the birth of Horus and also aid in the destruction of Seth.
Ptolemaic Temple - left side for Horus, right side for Sobek
Isis sayang Sobek??
L to R: Thoth, Isis, dunno who, Bastet, Horus
The temple from another angle
Messing around, guess which is me!!!
We're queuing to see mummies!!!
A mummified crocodile
After the visit, we were given some free time to do shopping outside the temple. The locals were very rowdy and initially, I thought they were very insulting to pull us into their shops. I was so scared that I don’t dare to take out my camera along the street. It took me some time to get used to the way business is done in Egypt and I bought a traditional tunic from one of the more decent looking shops.
The place to shop
Initially, the shopkeeper quotes 150 pounds for the tunic but after much bargaining, I only paid 30 pounds for it. That shows how much they were profiting if tourist don’t know the art of bargaining!!!
My 30 pounds tunic
We were back to the cruise and sailing towards Aswan for the night. But before we embarked on our journey, I witnessed a sight I will never see along Singapore river.
You drink, I drink, everybody drink *YamSeng*
Initially, I thought all the men were thirsty after so much bargaining with the tourists and they had come together for a mass drinking session.
Get in line, buddy!!
Soon after they had rinsed/drank/wash their feet in the river, they lined up in a straight row halfway up the slope. I realized I was about to witness their evening prayer. So I stayed and watched.
Let's pray
Ada is watching us!!!
After diner, it was the galabia party. We sat around as the crews made merry and sang their hearts out. What an enriching day!!!
That huge pot of flower is stealing my limelight!!!
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