Cruising along the Nile, we stopped one evening at a place east side of the Nile River, 45 km north of the city of Aswan. It was early evening around 5.00 pm. we were to visit a strange sounding temple called Kom Ombo which means “The Hill Of Gold” - the word “Kom” means “hill” in Arabic and “Ombo” means “gold” in hieroglyphics. 
Kom Ombo temple is one of the most unique temples in Aswan and probably in Egypt because of its structure. If you approach from the river, the soaring columns of the Great Temple of Kom Ombo rising dramatically above the Nile's bank are one of Egypt's iconic views. Today Kom Ombo - 47 kms north of Aswan and 168 kms south of Luxor- is a sleepy agricultural backwater surrounded by sugar cane fields.
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Built on the east bank of the River Nile on an outcrop once frequented by basking crocodiles, the temple is unique as the site for a double temple - it has two identical entrances, two linked hypostyle halls, twin sanctuaries dedicated to two different gods - Sobek and Horus the Elder. It is perfectly symmetrical along the main axis and its remaining walls and columns are the first ancient sight to greet Nile cruisers travelling north from Aswan to Luxor.
I found that
there are different dates given for the date of its construction – a) Greco-Roman Period, from 205 till 180 BC in the ruling
period of King Ptolemy V with some additions later on during
the Roman period or b) the Ptolemaic
dynasty,
180–47 BC. Some additions to it were later made during the Roman period. The
existing temple was begun by Ptolemy VI
Philometor (180–145
BC) at the beginning of his reign and added to by other Ptolemies, most notably Ptolemy
XIII Theos Philopator (51–47 BC), who built the inner and outer hypostyles.
Temple of Kom Ombo starts in the
forecourt, where the remains of a double altar and a three-sided colonnade can
clearly be seen. Inside, the inner and outer hypostyle halls boast 10 columns
each, all with exquisitely carved palm or floral capitals. Everywhere you look
there are magnificent reliefs carved into the walls, the ceiling, and the
columns themselves. Some still retain traces of their original colour. The
reliefs depict hieroglyphs, deities, kings and queens, and several of the Roman
emperors - including Trajan, Tiberius,
and Domitian.
There was a small
group of us from the ship. As you disembark, there is a short walk along the
pier side and then we turn into the temple premises. As it was soon dusk, the
temple was lit up and I think it looked better than it would in the daytime as
the carved reliefs on the stones were well lit. There was a good aura around
the whole place. Frankly, it’s not a large temple. 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 Jacques de Morgan in 1893.
The texts and reliefs in the temple refer to
cult liturgies which were similar to that time period.
The temple
itself had a specific theology. The characters invoked the gods of Kom Ombo and their legend. Two themes
are present in this temple: the universalist theme and the local theme. The two
combine to form the theology of this temple. A temple was already built in
the New
Kingdom to honour these gods, however, this site gained in
importance during the Ptolemaic Kingdom. Little remains of the
New Kingdom temple.
The reliefs on the right-hand stone screen depict
falcon-headed Horus and ibis-headed Thoth pouring consecration water over Neos
Dionysos (Ptolemy XII), with crocodile-headed Sobek standing to the left. On
the left-hand screen, the same scene is depicted, but Sobek is swapped for
Haroeris.
“The Vestibule's 10
columns are gorgeously decorated with rich palm capitals, while both the walls
and columns are embellished with reliefs. Check out the ceiling over the main
two aisles, with its paintings of flying vultures. The mural reliefs in the Vestibule are
particularly fine. Look for the mural left of the north doorway, which depicts Neos Dionysos in the presence of
Haroeris being blessed by a lion-headed Isis.
Two doorways lead you
from the Vestibule into
the Hypostyle Hall with its roof supported by 10 papyrus columns boasting
floral capitals. On the column shafts, Euergetes is depicted making offerings
to various gods, while the reliefs on the walls show him in converse with the
gods. Between the doors from the vestibule is the sacred crocodile of Ombos.
Between the doors leading into the rear part of the temple are reliefs of
Euergetes II's elder brother, Philometor, making an offering to the
falcon-headed Haroeris.
The loveliest relief here is found on the
left-hand (northern) wall. Here, you can see the falcon-headed Haroeris
presenting the Ptolemaic era pharaoh with the curved sword of victory and the
hieroglyph for eternal life. Just behind the pharaoh are his sister Cleopatra
VII and his wife Cleopatra.
Three Antechambers lead
off from the Hypostyle Hall, gradually
leading you into the inner temple area. All the walls here are covered with
fine reliefs. As you walk through, notice how each antechamber is slightly
higher than the one before. The small rooms on the left-hand side of the
Antechambers would have once served as temple store rooms.
On the rear wall of
the third antechamber, look
between the two doors to see a fine relief of Philometor in a long white
mantle, with Cleopatra behind him, standing before the falcon-headed moon god
Khons, who is writing the pharaoh's name on a palm branch with the symbol for a
long reign. To the rear are the principal gods of Ombos, Haroeris, and Sobek.
Enter through the two
doors in the rear wall of the third antechamber to arrive in the temple's
sanctuary area, split into two here to worship both Haroeris (to the left) and
Sobek (to the right). The black granite base in each sanctuary was for the
sacred barque, which would have held the image of the god. Around the chapels
were a number of smaller rooms with crypts.
If you walk back to the
Vestibule, you can enter the temple's Inner Passageway. At the far end are
seven small chambers with unfinished reliefs, which show different stages of
the artist's work and several inscriptions that were sketched out but never
completed.
The east walls of the
outer passage around the temple are covered with reliefs depicting the Roman
Emperor Trajan making offerings to Egyptian gods. At the northeast corner, he
is shown kneeling before two deities; beside this scene is a set of medical
instruments”.
Notable reliefs to look out for include the presentation of Ptolemy XII Neos Dionysos to Horus the Elder; the crowning of Ptolemy XII with the dual crown of Upper and Lower Egypt, signifying the nation’s unification; and a set of what appears to be surgical instruments on the back wall of the temple’s outer passage. The latter is thought to refer to the temple’s role as a place of healing for local people, many of whom left their own graffiti on the outer wall. In the grounds you can also find a shrine dedicated to Hathor, a birthing house, and a pool where sacred crocodiles were once kept.
The depicted surgical instruments
include scalpels, curettes, forceps, speculators, scissors, medicine bottles,
and prescriptions. The image is completed with two goddesses sitting on
birthing chairs. 
I have never seen a whole museum of mummified crocodiles – eggs, babies, skeletons, adults – male, female and all sorts of sizes. There are ancient carvings along with the displays. I don’t know why but no photography is permitted. It was interesting to see the history of the temple being linked to those crocodiles. Outside, there was a small shop selling curios and antiques and in the window, they had some interesting figurines for sale.
Our tour must have taken about two hours and we walked back
leisurely to the ship, ready to sail out again.
