If ever Wes Anderson, master of visual storytelling, was to pick a temple in Egypt, Kom ombo would no doubt be the winner. Situated on a promontory on the banks of the Nile built to overlook the river, this Ptolemaic temple would pass the director’s knack for symmetry. It has two each of the traditional components of religious structures: two entrances, two courts, two colonnades, two Hypostyle halls and two sanctuaries, one side for each of the two gods that this temple was dedicated for – Horus and Sobek (represented by falcon and crocodile respectively). What makes this double temple unique is that everything is perfectly symmetrical on the main axis.
The promontory is located 45km north of the city of Aswan and we made a visit right after our overnight camping (hence the bandana) that was our last morning in the city moving on to Luxor. It was a refreshing and breezy visit as it was less inundated with tourists. If not visiting with a tour guide, check out the carvings somewhere on the left hand corner of the back wall as it gives details of some medical and surgical instruments used back then. Check out also the Nilometer somewhere on the left that’s used to measure the height of the river for flooding and the crocodile museum that’s included in the ticket. There’s a cafe downstairs for some refreshments with a view of the Nile river.
Kom Ombo and the temple below Dendara though Egyptian style temples in construction were both built during the reign of the Ptolemies in Egypt, a dynasty that took over the country for 300 years. These rulers embraced Egyptian traditions to gain the natives’ recognition and them referring themselves as successor of pharaohs is often depicted in these temples. Fact: All male rulers of the dynasty took the name “Ptolemy”, while princesses and queens preferred the names Cleopatra and Berenice.