Temple of Kom Ombo - Kom Ombo, Egypt
Posted by: 
holy-ghost
N 24° 27.110 E 032° 55.680
36R E 492702 N 2704254
An unusual double temple built during the rule Ptolemaic dynasty.
Waymark Code: WM5M55
Location: Egypt
Date Posted: 01/20/2009
Views: 30
The Temple of Kom Ombo 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 Philometor (180-145 BC) at the beginning of his reign and added to by other Ptolemys, most notably Ptolemy XIII (47-44 BC), 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 De Morgan in 1893.
(source: Wikipedia)
City, State or City, Country: Kom Ombo, Egypt
Year Built: -181 to 30
Architect: unknown
Webpage from GreatBuildings.com or other approved listing: [Web Link]
Other website with more information about building: [Web Link]
|
Visit Instructions:
Submit a photo you have taken of the building or an interesting detail of the building. (No GPS photos wanted) If you have additional information about the building please add it to your visit log.