KOM OMBO

HISTORY 

The Temple at Kom Ombo is unique amongst the hundreds found in Egypt since it is a dual temple - one structure dedicated to two deities. Kom Ombo, situated approximately 30 miles north of Aswan in Upper Egypt, is a Graeco-Roman temple built during the Ptolemaic Period between 332 BC and 395 AD. Construction on the temple was started by Ptolemy VI Philometer and a number of his successors, such as Ptolemy XII and Ptolemy XIII, added to the site.

The Temple at Kom Ombo is dedicated to Sobek, the crocodile god, and Horus, the falcon-headed god. Sobek is associated with Seth, the god who murdered Osiris, god of the underworld and father of Horus. In the myth, those who allied with Seth made their escape after the murder by turning themselves into crocodiles, creatures that once were prevalent in the Nile River. 

FAST FACTS

Each side of the temple has its own respective component - gateway, chapel, court, colonnade, hypostyle hall, and sanctuary. The gateway consists of a low-screen wall, five columns, and the two doorways. Before the gateway, one sees the fragments of the first pylon and the remains of the 16 columns that comprised the courtyard. Throughout the temple, column capitals are decorated to represent the lotus flower, palm trees, and the papyrus plant. 

In the middle of the picture, we see three center columns holding a portion of the roof
and on either side is the low-screen wall which contain portions of the other two columns. 

The southern portion of the temple is dedicated to the triad of Sobek, god of fertility, Hathor, the goddess of love and joy, and Khonsu, god of the moon. This section of the temple is referred to as “House of the Crocodile”.

My travel buddy Albert the Gator with
his ancestor Sobek, the crocodile god. 

The northern portion of the temple is dedicated mainly to Horus, the sun god, and it is referred to as “Castle of the Falcon”. Also depicted in this portion are Tasenetnofret, The Good Sister, and a manifestation of Hathor and Panebtaway as Lord of Two Lands.

Ancient Egyptians believed Horus also assumed the role of a doctor. As such, the Temple at Kom Ombo was believed to have healing powers with Ancient Egyptians making pilgrimages to the site in the hopes of being healed from their ailments. 

The Temple of Kombo is special in that on the back wall we the first depictions of several surgical instruments - suction caps, scalpels, bone saws, dental tools, medicine bottles, forceps, birthing chairs, and forceps.

On the left, you see the goddess Isis on a birthing chair. 

Carvings depicting surgical instruments. 

At the site, hundreds of crocodile mummies were discovered and they are now in display at the Crocodile Museum next to the temple.

Towards the end of its history, the Temple at Kom Ombo was converted to a Coptic Church and that was the point when many of the carvings were defaced. 

VISITING KOM OMBO 

The Temple of Kom Ombo is a standard item on most Nile Cruise itineraries since the site is located between Luxor and Aswan and the fact the temple is walking distance from the dock. This lends to the temple having a steady stream of tourists and generally being crowded, regardless of the day or time. The proximity of the site to the docks also means one catches a glimpse of Kom Ombo while sailing the Nile which is a unique experience in that most temples are a bus ride away from the boats. 

Kom Ombo in the evening (2010 trip)

I have been to the Temple of Kom Ombo twice and both experiences were vastly different given the time of day we visited the site. My first trip to Kom Ombo was in the evening which is unfortunate because the temple did not have proper lighting. Many of the areas were rather dark so one could not see the carvings on the wall let alone see where one was walking. On my second journey to Egypt, we were able to visit the temple during the afternoon which afforded the opportunity to see the interesting architecture and artwork, to visit all sections of the temple, and to take in the beautiful view of the Nile from on top the hill. The only great part of visiting Kom Ombo in the evening is seeing the temple facade lit up atop the hill as your cruise approaches the dock. 

View of the Nile from Kom Ombo

One negative aspect of visiting Kom Ombo is the crowds. As previously stated, Kom Ombo is on most cruise itineraries therefore the site is always filled with tourists. Something that contributes to the crowded feeling is the size of the temple; Kom Ombo, compared to other temples throughout Egypt, is rather small so you have less space for the crowds to gather and move. On the other hand, the Temple at Karnak generally has larger crowds but given its large size, tourists are more dispersed. My tour mate and blog consultant Alicia shared that she felt Kom Ombo was the most crowded of all the sites we visited.

This view shows the small size of the temple. 

Next to the Temple at Kom Ombo is the Crocodile Museum - a small but very interesting collection of mummified crocodiles and other artifacts pertaining to the site. When I first visited Kom Ombo, my tour guide did not mention this museum so I am figuring it was closed during our night time tour. On my second tour of the site, I had the opportunity to visit the museum where I was very fascinated by the extensive collection of crocodile mummies. A visit to the museum should take about 20 to 30 minutes. 

For those that are not interested in a Nile Cruise, Kom Ombo is approximately one hour north of Aswan and per various travels sites, one can easily arrange a day trip to the temple through their hotel or a local travel company. 

Detailed carvings in the hypostyle hall

Vibrant colors found on the roof

Beautiful carvings of a harvest offering

Roman artifacts found at Kom Ombo

Albert sitting on the altar where crocodiles were worhshipped