~~~~~Site Menu~~~~~
  Esna | Edfu | Timeline of Dynasties | Plan Your Visit
Tour Operators  | Home

 

Queen Tetsheri  Collectors Choice Egyptian Wallpaper for your PC $2.95 Click for more Egyptian wallpapers

Esna and Edfu: Suggested Itinerary While in Egypt

These two temples are located between Aswan and Luxor. They were both regular stops for the cruise boats.  Esna is closed to tourists, except with government escort, for the 2001 season. The Temple of Horus the Elder and Sobek the Crocodile God, located at Kom Obo, are also included on the boat tours, and both are currently open to tourists for 2001.  All three sites can be visited in one day by hire car from Aswan or Luxor. If going by car, it is best to start at one city and proceed to the other, making the temple visits stopovers on the ride. However, I am not sure that such arrangements can be made in 2001, better check with local authorities. This would, of course fits in nicely with a tour up or down the Nile, and the ride along the road is interesting in itself. But be warned, the Egyptian drivers often drive very quickly, and there don't seem to be strict lanes in the road. We were unable to see Kom Obo due to a broken fan belt, which delayed our trip. But duing the unplanned stop, we enjoyed a closer look at the fields beside the road, and the passing vehicles crowded with Egyptians going to and fro. Detailed information about making the trip up the Nile Valley from Luxor to Aswan and beyond is contained in your Lonely Planet, Egypt: Travel Survival Kit, beginning on page 311 and beginning on page 301 in The Penguin Guide to Ancient Egypt (You can order both directly from the "home" page) Esna is most interesting for its columns and the reliefs, while Edfu is a "must see" if you wish to understand the psychological effect of approaching an intact temple. It is huge and all of its buildings are intact. At Edfu, there is also a bonus, the inner shrine houses a replica of the sacred barque that was carried through the streets of the nearby town during ceremonial processions.

Planning a Trip to Egypt?  

Private Tour Guides in Egypt: Hossam Rashwan | Eman Hemida | Ahmed Salama | John Gabril

Visit EgyptHoliday.com: Nile Cruise | Trip Diary 2007 | Trip Diary 2008 | Trip Diary 2010 | Tips for Do It Yourself Trip Planning

Egypt-Dreaming.com: A Thousand Pictures of Egypt
The Picture Gallery of Joan's & Ken's Egypt Revealed Tour of 2007