Edfu
Edfu (also spelled "Idfu") is an Egyptian town in the region of Upper Egypt, located on the west bank of the river Nile some 100 km south of Luxor, 53 km south of Esna and 115 km north of Aswan.
Understand
Apart from its ancient remains, Edfu is best known as a largely agricultural town, its main products being sugar cane and pottery.
Get in
The Temple of Edfu and open market are 3 km walking distance from where river boats dock.
Caleche drivers are the common way for cruise ship passengers to get to the site. They will ask for LE200 round trip, but you can get a lower price by haggling try for LE100-150 (Oct 2018).
Tuk-tuks, if you can get past the caleche drivers, are also available.
Cruise ships will allow you 2-2½ hours of shore time. The caleche drivers may offer to wait for 1 hour at the site, which gives you only enough time for a cursory visit. Insist on 1½-2 hours at the site.
Get around
See
- 🌍
Temple of Horus at Edfu. Oct-May: 7AM-4PM, Jun-Sep: 7AM-5PM. The large Ptolemaic period Temple of Horus at Edfu is the best-preserved ancient temple structure in Egypt (closely followed by the Temple of Dendera. The sun-deity Horus, usually depicted as a falcon or as a falcon-headed man, enjoyed popular worship in ancient Egypt as one of the chief deities, the son of Osiris. The temple as it stands was started in 237 BCE by Ptolemy III on the site of an earlier New Kingdom structure, and completed almost two centuries later in 57 BCE by Ptolemy XII (father of the famous Cleopatra). Entrance to the temple is by means of a massive pylon, standing 36 m high and decorated with reliefs of a traditional nature depicting Ptolemy XII smiting his enemies - the monumental gateway is guarded by twin granite falcons, well above life-size. Adults LE140, students LE70.
Do
Buy
Eat
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Sleep
Go next
- Kom Ombo, another riverside temple town, lies some 65 km south of Edfu and makes a great stop-off on the way south to Aswan