EGYPT: KOM OMBO TEMPLE AND THE CROCODILE MUSEUM

After visiting Philae Temple, our next stop was Kom Ombo Temple and the nearby Crocodile Museum, which are located about 30 miles down the Nile from Aswan, which means north of Aswan as the Nile flows south to north, something that was hard for me to get used to.

I never got tired of seeing the Egyptian men in their galabias, but I did get REALLY tired of the videographer who followed us wherever we went.

By the way, there are more ways to spell the name of those long dress-like garments than there are people who wear them. I've seen djellabah, galabiya, gallibaya, jellibiya, and galabiah, among others, and I've heard several different pronunciations.

Back to Kom Ombo, which was built under Ptolemy VI in about 180-145 BC with additions made in the 1st century AD by the Roman emperor Trajan. It is unique in that it is a "double temple," meaning that it honors two different gods, Sobek the crocodile god and Horus the falcon god. Kom Ombo was constructed in a bend in the Nile River favored by crocodiles, but Egyptians believed that if they honored the powerfully fierce crocodile as a god, they would be protected from attacks. However, Sobek and Horus were enemies, and the Egyptians felt the need to placate Horus as well so as not to draw his wrath. Therefore, the temple has two of everything and is perfectly symmetrical along the main axis.

Much of the temple was destroyed or defaced by Copts, who used it as a church, by the weather and waters of the Nile, by earthquakes, and by builders who pilfered its stones for other projects. It was restored in 1893 by the French director of antiquities in Egypt, Jacques de Morgan. This is what it looked like when he began--still pretty amazing for a 2,000-year-old structure:

From Wikipedia

However, it looks a lot better now:

EGYPT: ASWAN AND PHILAE TEMPLE

Before we began our cruise up the Nile, we spent a night and day docked in Aswan, a city in the southern quarter of Egypt known for being one of the hottest, driest, sunniest cities in Egypt. Luckily, we were there in relatively cool March.

We were headed for the Temple of Philae about eight miles from the docks. The first thing we saw as we pulled out onto the main road was a shepherd, his dogs, and a flock of sheep. NOT a sight we are familiar with in larger American cities:

We drove past many things we would love to have taken a look at, such as the Archangel Michael's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral:

Wikipedia provides these two photos of the interior:

We were disappointed that we never got to see inside a Coptic church. The Copts are the largest Christian community and the largest religious minority in the Middle East, comprising about 10% of the total population. This church--or an even larger one in Alexandria--would be high on my list if we ever make a return visit.