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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.
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