Kom Ombo Temple 

 Here In Egypt Travel Tips Till You About Kom Ombo Temple The Last Temple Before Aswan, If You Are Coming From The North, Is Kom Ombo. It Is About 45 Km. North Of Aswan. This Is Another Ptolemaic Temple Like Edfu, Though Smaller & Less Well Preserved; But Of All Egyptian Temples It Has A Unique Charm.

Kom Ombo Temple Has A Unique Charm Due To Its Situation On A Lofty Knoll Half Encircled By A Bend Of The Nile Which Gives The Effect Of A Sort Of Acropolis Against The Background Of Cultivation, Desert Skyline & Blue Sky. That Is Why Kom Ombo Temple Was Sometimes Called "The Acropolis Of Egypt."

The Temple, Further, Is Interesting In Being Dedicated Not To One, But To Two Gods, Sobek (Or Souchos) & Haroeris. Architecturally The Result Is Singular; The Temple Forms A Perfect & Symmetricall Whole But The Openings & The Chambers Are So Disposed As To Form Two Separate Entities Divided From Each Other, So To Speak, By An Invisible Line, The North Side Being Haroeris & The South Sobek.

Haroeris Is Represented Mainly Here In The Form Of A Falcon Or Falcon-Headed Human, While Sobek Is Represented In The Form Of A Crocodile Or A Crocodile-Headed Human.

According To One Of The Legends Of The Area, Haroeris & Sobek Are Related. They Are Two Brothers, Once They Had A Conflict Which Was Told In The Inscriptions, & The Temple Of Kom Ombo Was Dedicated To Both Of Them.

The Ancient Egyptian Builders Were Too Ambitious, Or Too Trusting Of The River; Some Of The Building Has Been Undermined & The North (Haroeris) Side Of The Entrance Pylon Has Subsided.

Kom Ombo Temple Was Discovered During The 19th Dynasty, It Was Found Under A Heap Of Sand. By The Way "Kom" Is An Arabic Word Means "Heap", So Is It An Interesting Name?! (Kom Ombo) What Does This Mean?!

Once Again The Roman Emperors Figure Prominently; Tiberius Is Much Displayed Upon The Outer Walls Of Kom Ombo; On The South Side Of The Pylon, Which Has Survived, We See Domitian Making Presentations To The Local Gods.

Not Much Of The Courtyard Of Kom Ombo Temple Survives, But We May See The Lower Portions Of The 16 Columns With Which It Was Once Adorned Where Once More Tiberius Is Much In Evidence.

The Vestibule Or First Hypostyle Hall Of Kom Ombo Has More To Show; Here Survive 10 Columns With Rich Floral & Palm Capitals & A Variety Of Sunk-Reliefs & Bas-Reliefs Dating From Ptolemaic Times; Notice Also The Astronomical Scenes On The Underside Of The Roof.

The Main Or The Second Hypostyle Hall In Kom Ombo Temple Which Follows Is Smaller; Beyond Are Openings Which Lead To The Twin Sanctuaries Of The Two Gods In Whose Honor The Temple Of Kom Ombo Was Built.

Before Leaving Kom Ombo Temple It Should Be Mentioned That Sobek, Who Was The God Of The Crocodiles Once Prolific In This Area But Now Extinct; In A Small Museum, Constructed Recently Near The Temple, There Remain A Number Of Their Mummified Corpses.