|  It
is the most complete and best preserved
Of all the temples of ancient Egypt. The
reason is that the temple had been totally
submerged under the desert except for the
very top of the pylon entrance. A small
amount of stone had been removed from the
exposed part, but when excavated it was
found to be in near perfect condition.
The temple is dedicated to Horus and was
built in the Ptolemaic period. At the entrance
to the inner temple stands a magnificent
black marble statue of the god. The Hypostyle
hall is both imposing and impressive because
of its size and condition. An impressive
feature of the temple is that nearly every
surface is covered by carvings and hieroglyphics,
some of which were defaced by Christians
as they considered the images to be pagan.
This temple is unusual in that it is on
the west bank of the river, which was normally
dedicated to the afterlife. It is thought
that redirection of the river some time
after construction of the temple is responsible
for this.
Dedicated to Horus, the falcon headed god,
it was built during the reigns of six of
the Ptolemies. This is not only the best-preserved
ancient temple in Egypt, but also the second
largest after Karnak. It was believed that
the temple was built on the site of the
great battle between Horus and Set. Hence,
the current temple was but the last in a
long series of temples build on this location.
It is said that the original structure housing
a statue of Horus was a grass hut built
in prehistoric times.
From your cruise ship you will enjoy a nice
carriage ride to reach the temple.
|
The
Temple of Isis was built in the Ptolemaic
period (332-330 BCE), and was the foremost
holiness of the popular cult of Isis and
Osiris. Antiquities on the island date between
the 26th Dynasty and the Roman Period, a
time of vast popularity of the Goddess Isis,
and this was her island, where pilgrims
would come from all over the Mediterranean.
Construction on the island took place over
an 800-year span, and it was one of the
last strongholds of Ancient Egyptian Religion,
which continued to flourish here into the
6th Century.
There
are several monuments here, the most famous
being the Mortuary Temple of Ramses III
(20th Dynasty, 1184-1153 BCE), one of the
best-preserved New Kingdom temples. Also
called the "Mound of Djeme," Madinet
Habu is nearly four miles from the Valley
of the Kings and was first the site of an
18th Dynasty (15th century BC) Temple of
Amun constructed on the foundations of a
Middle Kingdom shrine. 
