The largest temple in Egypt, and one of the last great attempts at monument building during the New Kingdom, it took the Greeks 200 years to build. They completed it in 57 BC. The temple is considered to be one of the best preserved, in part due to its distance from the river. Amazingly it was excavated in the 19th century partially beneath the village of Edfu, which had built homes over the ruins.

Huge granite falcons guard the entrance of the 36 meter tall pylon as you enter. At one time huge doors closed the temple entrance, evident by the squares on ceiling which once held the hinges. Must've been some doors! Inside the hypostle hall, there were 12 enormous columns supporting a blackened ceiling, which apparently were ruined from misuse as homeless people used this temple area as a kitchen and built fires. There are numerous halls, passageways, inner chambers and a black granite sanctuary. Beyond the sanctuary, a reproduction of a sacred barque is displayed. Decorated walls throughout the chambers depict stories of Horus, the falcon-headed son of Osiris. Many of the reliefs have been defaced over the years.

In ancient times, this temple was used for many religious ceremonies. A festival to celebrate the divine birth of Horus, and the living king was held annually at Edfu. A live falcon and the pharaoh would both be crowned in the central court. The newly crowned falcon was then placed in the inner chamber to reign in the dark as a living symbol of Horus for a year. In another ceremony, the solar boat containing the statue of Horus was taken to Dendera's temple to cavort with Hathor during the "Festival of the Happy Reunion."

"Crunch, crunch, crunch..." incredibly enough, we were walking on ancient pottery shards on the way out from the temple. Hmmm... But stern looking guards lining the walls prevent curious tourists from picking up the discarded pieces of the past.

You can visit from 7am to 4pm daily for twenty pounds.