Kom Ombo – Ptolemaic temple

This entry is part 12 of 16 in the series Egypt 2006

This Ptolemaic temple in the town of Kom Ombo was built in the second century BC, it was further expanded and altered in later Ptolemaic times. As a more unusual setting, each of the two sides of the temple is devoted to a different god – one side to Haroeris the falcon, also known as Horus the Elder, the other side to Sobek, creator of the world and god of fertility (always depicted as a crocodile). To honour the latter, several hundred of mummified crocodiles were buried in and around the temple, today a few of them are on display in the temple.

The temple of Kom Ombo is also famous for its detailed reliefs, e.g. showing ancient surgical instruments, and for its inscriptions.

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