It’s another warm and tranquil day on the Nile, the sky blue and the river’s edge a low-lying green ribbon of farms we’ve come to enjoy with morning coffee. A decision to skip the activities planned for the start of the day meant we got to do this for a while…
We sailed midday to Kom Ombo, a few hours from Aswan, with our temple visit timed perfectly for sunset. There’s something about sunsets – the calm dying of the day, the night emerging – and the color of their eternal light that makes an evening adventure take on such a different feel. We docked at Kom Ombo very close to the temple so we could walk the short distance in cool evening air while turning up the whispers and listening to Ahmed tell us about this unique place.
Kom Ombo’s construction began around 150 BC, its ornamentation and expansion taking place over the next 100 years. It is equally dedicated to the crocodile god Sobek and the falcon god Haroeris (aka Horus, but maybe not the same Horus as at Edfu? This all gets very confusing!). The temple is symmetrical along its center axis, one side for each god, a design not seen elsewhere. The rooms and sanctuaries and halls are duplicated on either side, and there is a dividing line running vertically up the back wall that perfectly dissects the complex.
With feral dogs and their adorable puppies accompanying us, we enter the temple, Ahmed in our ears describing what we are seeing. He knows so much of the gods and pharaohs and the symbolism before our eyes, and as we listen, we hope to retain at least some nuggets. He takes us through to the rear of the temple, his voice rising with the anticipation of what he wants to show us. We turn a corner that has us between the temple and a surrounding wall, every inch beautifully carved, and he asks what we see. It is pretty clearly surgical and other such instruments, evidencing the medical skills the ancient Egyptians possessed…over 2,000 years ago! Opposite this on the temple wall is the dissecting line (Sobek’s staff) amid a scene of god and mortals.
And then, what better place than this to have a crocodile mummy museum?! Crocodiles are indigenous to the Nile valley, although strangely, they no longer inhabit the lower Nile since the Aswan Dam was built. Since this temple was dedicated to the crocodile god Sobek, it’s not surprising that over 300 mummified crocs were discovered in the vicinity. They have quite a few on display…leathery, a bit crusty, amazingly well preserved, and speaking of the reverence they were given.
Visiting ancient places like Kom Ombo and thinking of the people who toiled over them for centuries often makes me wonder about modern parallels. Do we have them? La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona pops to mind. It began construction in 1882 and is still unfinished 140 years later.
We slumbered with those thoughts in mind, awakening early to watch us go through one of the locks on the river. We gathered on the top deck (roof of 4th floor) for this spectacle, most of us having never gone through it, and not knowing if we’d be raised or lowered (…lowered, it turns out). As we approached the first of two locks under clear blue skies, much to our surprise we had guests – pirates! That’s what they call them anyway, but they are just excited entrepreneurial vendors taking advantage of a slow-moving boat. They start yelling up at us – “excuse me! Excuse me!” “what’s your name?!” “where are you from?” “excuse me!!” “best prices!”
And this continues as we move forward while they keep pace in their wooden dinghies. We pay little attention at first, but their persistence pays off, and they begin hurling plastic bags of their wares up onto the ship! Here comes a tablecloth…a woven blanket…a galabeya [traditional clothing]…table runners…placemats. We toss things back down to them, most of the time avoiding a splash. Some ask for different colors and…up it comes! All of this is happening while we are entering the lock with the little row boats in front of our ship, seemingly at risk of getting crushed. Prices are negotiated by screaming from the top of the ship, tossing things back until it reappears after successful bargaining. Finally, cash (for the tablecloth and napkins I bought) is sent down in a plastic bag containing an unwanted item for the weight. It’s all quite the scene!
When we emerge from the lock (a surprisingly quick process), we bid farewell to the pirates, bound for The Temple of Karnak. It’s going to be a great day. Stay tuned…
Dirt Roads and High Rises 