Edfu Temple in Egypt: hours, tickets and getting there

Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities calls it one of the most striking and complete of ancient Egyptian temples⁵. Its story in brief:

• Work began in 237 BC under Ptolemy III².
• The temple was finished in 57 BC under Ptolemy XII, 180 years² after building started.
• It then lay buried under layers of settlement debris for millennia².
• The French archaeologist Auguste Mariette uncovered and restored parts of it in 1860².

What to look for when you’re there:

• Two large granite statues of the falcon god Horus² in front of the pylons.
• Tell Edfu, the mound right next to the temple: not much to look at, but archaeologically important³.
• The link with Hathor: Wikipedia calls Edfu the largest temple dedicated to Horus and Hathor of Dendera¹.

Boats tie up at a river wharf on the west bank, where caleche drivers wait³ for passengers. On the Civitatis cruise, the visit is made by horse-drawn carriage¹⁵.

If you’re still choosing a Nile cruise, remember that the boats sell package itineraries, not point-to-point trips¹⁶.

• Esna: the Temple of Khnum, built in the Ptolemaic-Roman period, where only its hypostyle hall remains¹⁸. Read the guide to visiting the Temple of Khnum.
• Kom Ombo: 65 km³ south of Edfu, an unusual double temple of Sobek and Haroeris¹⁹. It stands right beside the cruise boat dock¹⁹ and opens 07:00 to 21:00 every day⁸.
• Silsila quarries: Wikivoyage suggests a stop at the Silsila royal quarries on the way to Kom Ombo, the best on the west bank³.
• Dendera: the goddess Hathor has her own temple there; see the Temple of Hathor in Egypt page.

If you’d rather stay closer to town, Luxor’s West Bank holds the major ruins¹⁶, and the Medinet Habu temple guide is a good place to start. For everything else, browse the things to do page.