Day 9 ~ Kom Ombo Temple

This morning we set sail to Kom Ombo (Valley of Gold) Temple.  In ancient times this area was one of the main sources of gold and an important agricultural center.

 

This Greco-Roman temple was started by Ptolemy around 200 BC and completed around 200 AD.  It is unique because it is dedicated to two different gods, Haroeris an Sobek, the crocodile god.

From left to right we have Isis, Ptolemy, Horace, and his sons, Haroeris and Sobek.  There was such detail you could see the teeth of the crocodile.

Another unique thing found in this temple is the calendar.  It is one of the only calendars found in any temple.  The three large figures on the right represent the 3 seasons of the year.  In the middle are the days of the month, and to the left of the days of the week is information about each day.  In this calendar there are 10 days per week, and 3 weeks per month. 

The image on the far left depicts a child nursing, while the image on the right shows the birth of a child.


Here are the sheeshah sisters. After touring the temple, Mina took us to this restaurant where we all tried the sheeshah.  The sweet apple flavored tobacco was quite good and not at all like cigarettes. 

Here is our fearless captain on the bow of the boat.

 

We got back to our boat around 1:00 and set sail again.  Here we are enjoying another delicious lunch.  While the sun is out, we have perfect temperatures in the mid 70’s.  It is so relaxing out on the upper deck.  We also eat dinner here so we bundle up and they enclose us within the canopy.