Discover the Wonders of Egypt’s Ancient Temples: A Tourist’s Guide
Egypt is quite famous for its impressive and outstanding ancient temples. Even after years, their architecture and significance continue to captivate and amuse travellers. The country receives many travellers year after year, showing interest in exploring the ancient Egyptian temples and monuments. The growing interest led to a lot of customized or curated tour packages for visiting Egypt's ancient temples like the Nile River Cruise Ride or Bus Tours. The quest to discover ancient temples in Egypt never seems to end.
The architectural style, religious significance, belief system and lifestyle of the Egyptians are sealed by inscriptions on the walls of the ancient Egyptian temples. Each temple has its own story of construction and concealing the ancient practices, lifestyles and civilizations of the Egyptian people. Most of the ancient temples were built to house the Egyptian Gods and Goddesses. The architectural style and features of the ancient monuments and temples in Egypt underwent constant changes during the period of pharaohs and different rulers of Egypt. Amidst the various ancient temples in Egypt here are a few ancient temples to explore.
Luxor Temple
The temple complex in Luxor was constructed during the period of the New Kingdom in 1400 BCE. The temple is located in Egypt’s most beautiful and ancient city Luxor. The massive temple complex was built to pay homage to the Theban Triad of Gods, namely the Amun-Ra, Khonsu and Mut. The architectural features of the Luxor temple include massive sandstone statues, pylon gateways walls, courtyards, hieroglyphic carvings and columns. The most impressive feature of the Luxor temple is the statue of Ramses II seated on the throne, one on each side of the entrance. The colossal hypostyle hall in the temple was the centre for spiritual ceremonies and gatherings. Stepping into the Great Colonnade gives a surreal feeling, the place is surrounded by large towering columns and intricate carvings.
Opet festival is the annual festival celebrated in the Luxor temple. The festival celebrates the journey of the god and the re-crowning ceremony of the pharaoh. The Luxor temple is open from 6.00 AM to 10.00 PM. Early morning or sunset visits are recommended to beat the heat and avoid tourist crowds.
Karnak Temple
The city Thebes or Luxor is home to the iconic and huge temple complex named the Karnak temple complex. The ancient temple is seen as an impressive architectural marvel, and it was built around 2000 BCE. The Karnak temple underwent various additions and modifications for over 2000 years. Various pharaohs added their contribution towards expanding the Karnak temple and eventually the monument turned out to be the largest ancient temple complex in Egypt. The Karnak temple complex includes sanctuaries, chapel, courtyard, halls, etc. Water from the Sacred Lake inside the temple complex was used for purification and temple rituals. The temple has various obelisks, pillars made from a single granite. All the obelisks are carved with hieroglyphics and the obelisks of Hatshepsut (female pharaoh) is the most remarkable one.
The statues of the Egyptian Gods and pharaohs and the columns are the highlights of the Karnak temple. The temple also features majestic halls for holding religious ceremonies. Travellers can visit the Karnak temple complex between 6.00 AM to 5.30 PM. Wear proper dress and take time to visit each feature of the temple.
Abu Simbel Temples
The stone-cut Abu Simbel temples are situated in Aswan near the Sudan border. The temples were carved out of mountains constructed by the great Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses II around 1250 BC. Later, the temple was relocated during the 1960s to preserve them. The entrance of Abu Simbel temples has four statues of Ramses II each 66 feet tall. The temple is adorned with hieroglyphics and intricate carvings portraying the battle victory of King Ramses II. The Abu Simbel temple complex also has a smaller temple dedicated to the beloved wife of Ramses II, Queen Nefertari and the Goddess Hathor. The solar alignment of the temples allows the sun’s rays to illuminate the inner sanctuaries and statues of the temple twice a year.
Exploring the Abu Simbel temples takes about 2-3 hours and the temple is open from 5.00 AM to 6.00 PM. The cultural significance of the temple made it one of the famed ancient temples in Egypt. The drive time to reach the Abu Simbel temples from Aswan is 3 to3.5 hours.
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Hatshepsut Temple
Egypt’s ancient city Luxor, is home to a unique ancient temple. The history and story of the Temple of Hatshepsut are distinctive because it was built for Queen Hatshepsut, a notable female pharaoh who ruled Egypt. The temple is well-preserved to preserve the history and amazing Egyptian architectural style during the reign of Queen Hatshepsut. The colonnaded halls feature several columns with hieroglyphics and other carvings. The reliefs and carvings on the temple walls depict the life and history of Queen Hatshepsut. The shrines and chapels of the temples were divided into sections and dedicated to different Egyptian gods, deities and pharaohs. The temple was built around 1470 BCE and was dedicated to God Amun, the God of air and protector of pharaohs. It also served as the mortuary temple for the Pharaoh Hatshepsut.
The temple has an open altar, figures and statues of Queen Hatshepsut, main court, solar cult court, etc. Travellers can visit the Temple of Hatshepsut from 6.00 AM to 5.00 PM on all days. The architectural style and structure of the temple bring out the power and victory of the female pharaoh Hatshepsut.
Edfu Temple
The temple has another name, the Temple of Horus because the temple was dedicated to the Egyptian God of Kingship and protection, Hours. The construction of the Edfu temple started around 237 and 57 BC. The Edfu Temple is an impressive ancient temple situated in Edfu, Aswan. The stunning architectural feature of the temple is the front 118 feet pylon gate. The walls of the Edfu temple bear the epic and mythological story of the God Hours including the great battle between Horus and Seth through reliefs. The highlight of the temple is the hypostyle halls and towering columns, each bearing carvings, reliefs and hieroglyphics portraying the Egyptian mythological stories, rituals, cultural practices, and number system. The reliefs and inscriptions on walls of incense or laboratory inside the temple depict ancient perfume recipes.
All the carving on the walls and columns of the Edfu temple preserves the history of Egypt during the Hellenistic period. The temple is usually open on all days from 7.00 AM to 5.00 PM. On average, it takes 2 to 3 hours to explore the Edfu temple and admire the intricate carving and outstanding architecture.
Kom Ombo Temple
One of the unique and stunning temples in Aswan is the Kom Ombo Temple which was constructed during the Ptolemaic dynasty between the period of 180 and 47 BC. The temple was built and dedicated to the Egyptian falcon God Horus and Sobek, the crocodile God. A significant aspect of the temple is the depiction of a detailed Egyptian calendar including the harvest seasons. The reliefs at the backside of the temple portray the surgical tools and birthing chairs. The Nilometer at the Kom Ombo Temple is the best of all. A Nilometer is a device that measures the Nile River’s water level and it was helpful during the annual flood. The Crocodile Museum situated within the temple vicinity exhibits over 300 mummies of crocodiles found at the temple. The museum also includes instructions about the crocodile mummification process.
The temple has two sanctuaries, entrances and hypostyle halls for both gods. Travellers can visit the Kom Ombo temple between 7.00 AM to 9.00 PM. The unique design of the limestone temple and the surrounding landscape such as the Nile River make the ancient temple stunning to visit.
Dendera Temple
The temple complex is situated in Dendera, Egypt. The construction of the temple started around 305–30 BCE during the Ptolemaic era, and it continued for a long period of time. Multiple Egyptian rulers constantly modified, restored or added features to the Dendera temple complex. The artistic excellence is reflected through the temple’s features and architecture. The temple was devoted to Hathor, the Egyptian Goddess of music, beauty, love, motherhood and fertility. The temple features a pylon gate, sanctuaries, halls, courtyards and chapels. The amazing aspect of the Dendera temple is the Zodiac of Dendera on the ceiling. It is an ancient astronomical chart used by Egyptians to understand celestial bodies. The zodiac contains signs associated with various Egyptian Gods and Goddesses. The hypostyle hall of the Dendera temple has lotus-shaped columns and hieroglyphics.
The walls of the Dendera Temple portray the stories from ancient Egyptian mythologies linked with the Goddesses Hathor and the offerings made by the pharaohs. The timings of the Dendera temple are from 7.00 AM to 5.00 PM.
Besides the list, Egypt has so many ancient temples such as the Philae Temple, Abydos Temple, Temple of Ramesses III, Temple of Khnum, The Ramesseum Temple, etc. All the temples contributed a lot to glorifying the history of the country. The standing monuments and ancient temples made an everlasting impression and reason to travel to Egypt.
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Check your eligibility for Online Egypt Visa and apply for Egypt e-Visa 5 (five) days in advance of your flight. Citizens of many countries including Czech citizens, Brazilian citizens, Croatian citizens, French citizens and Russian citizens can apply online for Egypt e-Visa.