Kom Ombo temple: where the Nile of ancient Egypt merges with the eternal echos of devotion, creating a sacred tale in the Egyptian's sands.
On the edges of the Nile River, there is the temple of kom ombo, which is a great witness to the ancient Egyptian’s greatness; this unique temple is dedicated to two of the most famous/powerful deities, Horus and Sobek, revealing an attracting myth, history, architectural marvel, here we are going to reveal the myth of the two deities and the remarkable structure of kom ombo temple.
What is the temple of kom ombo?
The temple of Kom Ombo is different from the other temples in Egypt; why? Because it combines the two deities, the god Sobek, the crocodile god, and the god Horus, the falcon-headed god.
Discover Kom Ombo Temple
When was the temple of Kom ombo built?
Kom Ombo temple was built during the Greek-Roman period between 332 and 395 AD, but the temple is built on an old structure dating back to the 18th dynasty( the new kingdom). some of the old temple’s ruins remain.
Who is the god Sobek, the crocodile god?
To admire the temple, first, we need to know and understand what purpose the temple serves; we do that by knowing and understanding the two deities that the temple combines. First, God Sobek was the ancient Egyptian god of power and strength; the ancient Egyptians honored him from as old as the old kingdom, and according to specific legends, god Sobek created the cosmos; in ancient Egypt, god Sobek was the Nile god who provided fertility to the lands, as the stories tell, he rose from the primordial waters of Nun to create the universe and what is more important to the Egyptians than the universe, to create the Nile river from his sweat as “the lord of the waters.”
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Who was the god Horus, the falcon-headed god?
Horus was the sun god and the son of the god Osiris and the goddess Isis; he represented justice, he represented it when he took back the throne from his uncle, god set, and took revenge on him because god set killed his father, god Osiris, in the iconic myth, he was also known as “his father’s guardian.”
Unravel God Horus
The Name of Kom Ombo Temple
The word ‘kom’ in Arabic means the small hill, and the word “Ombo.” Hieroglyphic ancient Egyptian language means gold, so when we combine them, the word kom ombo means the hill of the god. Still, there is another opinion, saying that kom ombo means the golden city. The word Ombo is derived from the ancient Egyptian word “Nbty,” an adjective that means old (it was transferred from the word Nebo). Then, during the Coptic period, the word changed to become enbo; when the Arabic language entered Egypt and became the common language, the word changed once again to “ombo.”
Decoding Kom Ombo
The Location of Kom Ombo Temple
The temple of Kom Ombo is located about 48 north of the city of Aswan and about 800 km south of Cairo City; it’s on the right bank of the river between Edfu and Aswan; this is why virtually every Nile cruise that sails near the area includes a visit to this temple.
Location of Kom Ombo Temple
The Origin of Kom Ombo Temple
The temple was constructed between the Nubian caravan routes and the gold mines located in the eastern desert. Later, it became a preparation spot for the wild animals used in war during the reign of King Ptolemy VII to fight the Empire of Seleucid. Also, the temple was built during his time of ruling Egypt; there are some sayings that most of the decorations of this temple were completed by Ptolemy Xll Neos Dionysos; why it’s devoted now (the temple )to the crocodile god? The crocodiles used to lay in this temple under the rays of the sun, and this is the devotion we know now.
The Construction of Kom Ombo Temple
As said earlier, the temple of Kom Ombo was constructed on the ruins of a much older temple; the older temple was called ‘pr Sobek,’ Which means the house of the god Sobek; the older temple was founded in the 18th dynasty in the new kingdom under the rule of Queen Hatshepsut and king Thutmose the third whose stunning temple is still standing in the West Bank of Luxor City. The temple of Kom Ombo was constructed between 205 and 180 BC during the reign of Ptolemy V. Still. It ended there because the process of building the temple continued from 180-169 BC, which allowed every king to rule Egypt to add his ‘touch’ to the beautiful structure.
A large portion of the Kom Ombo Temple, including the hypostyle hall, was erected during the reign of Tiberius from 81 to 96 BC. Work on the temple went on subsequently for about 400 years throughout the ruling period of Caracalla and Macrinus till the middle of the 3rd century AD.
Ancient Craftsmanship
The Design of the Kom Ombo Temple
The Ptolemies erected the Kom Ombo Temple to worship two Egyptian gods, God Sobek, the crocodile god, and God Horus, the falcon god. This is why the complex chiefly consists of two similar temples that include all the customary components of such ancient Egyptian religious constructions are present in the two temples.
The Temple of Kom Ombo was built mainly with limestone in a rectangular shape, with a plan and a design that is quite similar to many temples built in the Greco-Roman period. Such examples are the Temples of Dandara and Philae, considered among the most important monuments in Upper Egypt, which are visited annually by numerous tourists.
Intricate Architecture
The Description of Kom Ombo Temple
Besides its amazing design, the temple features beautiful scenes decorating its walls. Other than the decorations, there is a set of steps leading from the ground to the gate of the temple, which is a large structure made of blocks of stones. The facade of the Temple of Kom Ombo has wonderful wall carvings depicting the Ptolemaic kings beating the enemies and presenting offerings to the gods. Through the temple, the gate is the hypostyle hall, constructed in the Roman period, which is largely ruined and damaged from the passage of time.
Temple’s Historical Significance
The design of the Kom Ombo Temple starts with a front courtyard and a hypostyle hall following that. Afterward, there are three inner halls and then two sanctuaries, one dedicated to Sobek and the other to Horus. To the sides of the inner halls, there are seven chambers; three of them are situated in the eastern section of the temple, while the others are located in the western part. Moreover, the Temple of Kom Ombo has many antechambers and smaller rooms used for different rituals and purposes.
The courtyard of the temple consists of a rectangular open space with sixteen columns surrounding the courtyard from three directions. Unfortunately, only the bases of these columns survived today. Interestingly enough, some of the tops of the columns depicted capitals. Past the courtyard is the first inner hall, constructed during the ruling period of Ptolemy XII(who was responsible for some of the decorations on the temple, as we said before). To the East of this hall, there are many portraits of the Ptolemies being purified by the gods Sobek and Horus.
Magnificent Temple Columns
The inner hall of the Kom Ombo Temple has a design that is similar to the outer hall, but the columns here are quite shorter, and the stone capital of these columns has the shape of the lotus flower, one of the most important and sacred plants in ancient Egypt.
The Temple of Kom Ombo features two sanctuaries dedicated to the two gods of the temple: Sobek and Horus. They consist of two similar rectangular halls, considered among the most ancient sections built in the temple, as they were constructed during the reign of Ptolemy VI. The birthplace of the Temple of Kom Ombo is located in the southeastern section of the complex, and it was constructed during the period of Ptolemy VII. This structure consists of an outer courtyard that leads into a front hypostyle hall that leads to another two halls where rituals of the birth of the son of the gods were carried out.
The Chapel of Hathor:
The Chapel of Hathor is located in the North Eastern section of the Temple of Kom Ombo, and it consists of a rectangle-shaped chapel constructed higher than the ground and reached by climbing some steps. The chapel is 5 m long and 3 m wide. Inside the chapel of Hathor are three glass galleries displaying three mummies of crocodiles representing the god Sobek. The facade of the chapel has a portrait displaying Hathor sitting in front of the entrance.
The Nilometer at Kom Ombo Temple
In the northwestern section of the complex is a circular well used on Rhoda Island in Cairo. This Nilometer was constructed during the Roman period and is connected to a smaller water well. These Nilometers were of particular importance, especially during the season of the flooding of the Nile.
Ancient Nilometer
The Chapel of Sobek at Kom Ombo Temple
Situated in the northeastern section of the temple of Kom Ombo is a Roman-style chapel dedicated to the god Sobek, which was constructed in the 3rd century AD. Emperor Caracalla is portrayed on two columns near the entrance of the chapel, which depicts the god Sobek, whom many Egyptians worshiped during the Ptolemaic and Roman periods.
Chapel of Sobek Revealed
Conclusion
Kom Ombo temple is a unique spot dedicated to two gods. It has all the different touches of different kings from the Ptolemaic dynasty, and it has the story behind its original ruins; it contains two unified system parts that share the first pylon, the courtyard, the thin corridor, and the portico.
Only from the columned hall does the appearance of two regular halves start to form up to the main sanctuary. The complex was constructed under the rule of the Ptolemies kings in the 2nd century BC. Principally worth seeing: In the Chapel of goddess Hathor, embalmed 2,000-year-old, sacred crocodiles are on display.
Near Aswan stands one of the most beautiful structures ever; we thank anyone who was able to contribute to building this masterpiece, which was the majesty of the temple of Kom Ombo.
