Ancient Egyptian Temples and Tombs Honor the Gods
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Did Cleopatra once also look out from this spot in the Temple of Hathor at the “sacred lake” below?
Perhaps.
It’s just one of many incredulous temples of ancient Egypt we’re exploring on our Nile River cruise.
Our Egyptian guide tells us Cleopatra loved bathing in the rectangular stone pool, now empty but for palm trees growing within its walls.
Carved on an outside temple wall, there’s a large bas relief of Cleopatra, the last Pharaoh of Egypt, and her son Caesarian by Julius Caesar.
This bas relief is one of the few depictions of Cleopatra that still exist.
Temples in ancient Egypt: Contents
Famous temples of ancient Egypt – As astonishing as the Great Pyramid
Temple of Hathor – Cleopatra’s “temple of love”
Other Egpytian temples – Karnak, Komombo and Edfu
Tips for visiting the temples of Egypt – Nile cruise, best time to visit Egypt, is it safe to visit Egypt?
Famous temples of ancient Egypt
The most famous of the historical places in Egypt may well be the Great Pyramid of Giza – the lone surviving member of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
But cruise the Nile River between Luxor and Aswan, and you see many ancient Egypt temples rising up in the baking desert.
And the temples in Luxor – and the Temple of Hathor at Denderah – are just as astonishing as the Egyptian pyramids for their mystery and beauty.
Temple of Hathor (Cleopatra’s “temple of love”)
Built between 125 B.C. and 60 A.D., the Denderah Temple was dedicated to Hathor. (The temple is also spelled as “Dendera Temple.”)
Hathor is the cow-headed Egyptian goddess of love, happiness, motherhood and healing.
The ceiling is intricately painted with fantastic azure-and-gold images of the sky goddess Nut (Hathor’s mother) swallowing the winged sun disc each evening and giving birth to it again each dawn.
Looking up at the soaring columns in the Hypostyle Hall in the Hathor Temple, you can see the four-sided capitals (or uppermost part of a column).
These capitals are carved with the face of Hathor, the cow-eared goddess.
Stairs lead down from the temple to an underground crypt.
We have to crawl through a narrow corridor on our hands and knees to enter the crypt.
The crypt stored amphoras of perfumed oil for religious ceremonies.
It displays lovely engravings too.
We also see the mud-brick ruins of a sanatorium within the temple grounds.
They have benches for the sick who would be waiting for cures by the priests; many of the patients would stay overnight hoping to have a healing dream of the goddess.
Other ancient Egyptian temples
Karnak temple
The Karnak Temple in the city of Luxor is truly awe-inspiring.
One of the world’s largest sacred sites (covering more than 60 acres), it’s filled with sphinxes, obelisks, shrines and gigantic statues of pharaohs.
Dedicated to the sun god Amun-Ra, it was first built more than 3,500 years ago and added onto by 30 successive pharaohs.
We’re struck by the dizzying jungle of 134 colossal papyrus-shaped columns in the Hypostyle Hall.
And how did the Egyptians transport Queen Hatshepsut’s 29-metre tall obelisk – sculpted from a single piece of pink granite and weighing over 320 tons – hundreds of miles from the distant quarries at Aswan to here?
Our guide suggests it may have been floated down the Nile during an annual flood.
Komombo Temple
Then there’s Komombo Temple, the temple of healing.
Our guide points out a wall relief showing surgical scissors, a scalpel, dental pliers and two women sitting on birthing chairs.
Edfu Temple
Built between 237 and 57 BC, Edfu Temple is the temple of learning, with etchings of scribes and students who studied architecture and engineering here.
It’s the largest temple dedicated to the falcon-headed god, Horus.
Inside, you can see a replica of the wooden barque that contained a gilded statue of Horus. The original is in the Louvre in Paris.
Favorite Egyptian temple?
Still, one of our favorites is the temple where roosting birds now sing and the promise of each new day is chronicled – Cleopatra’s temple of love.
Recommended reading: Pssst! Have you visited the ancient rose-red city of Petra? It’s a marvel!
Egypt travel tips
Here’s some practical information for visiting the Egyptian temples and tombs:
Nile River cruise
Except for the pyramids near Cairo, most of Egypt’s top archaeological sites are found along the banks of the Nile River between Aswan and Luxor (Upper Egypt).
The best way to see these ancient Egyptian temples and tombs is on a Nile River cruise. We sailed on the Oberoi Zahra.
Best time to visit Egypt
It’s hot and sunny all year in Upper Egypt, with little shade.
November to February are the mildest months and the best time to visit Egypt. Avoid June through August, when the heat is intense.
Safety
While Cairo has seen unrest, Upper Egypt has been trouble-free for years. However, check Canadian and U.S. government travel advisories before you go.
Related reading: Check out these other fabulous river cruises in the world
Oberoi Zahra Nile cruise
The Oberoi Zahra was built to be the Nile’s most luxurious river boat.
All 27 suites on the Zahra feature timber floors, scattered with horsehair rugs, and marble bathrooms with picture windows.
Upon docking, an air-conditioned Mercedes van whisks you and your Egyptologist guide to touring sites.
The Zahra offers leisurely 7-day river sojourns (unlike 3- and 4-night cruises by most other boats).
The Zahra is also one of just a few boats that cruise to Denderah to see the Temple of Hathor (on a private twilight visit).
More information about the Oberoi Zahra: See the Oberoi website.
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Photo credits: 2 to 11, 13, 14 © Janice and George Mucalov, SandInMySuitcase | 16 to 21 Oberoi Hotels
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