Detailed interactive map Kom Ombo temple
Dedicated to sky god Haroeris and to the corcodile headed god Sobek, it is an unusual double temple. It was built during the dominion Ptolemaic dynasty in the Egyptian town of Kom Ombo.
Located in the town of Kom Ombo, about 28 miles north of Aswan, the Temple, dating to the Ptolemies, is built on a high dune overlooking the Nile. The Temple called Kom Ombo is actually two temples consisting of a Temple to Sobek and a Temple of Haroeris. Everything is duplicated along the main axis. There are two entrances, two courts, two colonades, two hypostyle halls and two sanctuaries. The northern side is dedicated to Haroeris, who was the falcon headed sky god and the right to Sobek, who was the corcodile headed god. The two gods are accompanied by their families.
The main sight at Kom Ombo is the excellent Outer Hypostyle Hall, with 15 thick columns topped with floral capitals and a cornice decorated with winged sun-discs. The bases of the columns bear the heraldic lily of Upper Egypt and the papyrus symbol of the Nile Delta. Significant portions of the roof remain, which are decorated with flying vultures and astronomical imagery.
Much of the temple has been destroyed by the Nile, earthquakes, and later builders who used the stones for other projects. Some of the reliefs inside were defaced by Copts who once used the temple as a church. The bend of the river here was home to a large number of Nile crocodiles, which were held to be sacred. Many mummified crocodiles have been found in cemeteries, some of which can be seen in the temple sanctuary today.
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