Falcons and crocodiles, oh my

Wednesday, Nov. 11 -- Another really early wake-up all to be at Edfu by 7:30. Although our guide was very difficult to understand, I believe Edfu was built to honor Horus, the god of war. He also apparently could transform himself into a goddess, but I got lost at that point. The best-preserved temple in Egypt, Edfu was first a fortress and a commercial center. Greco-Roman temple with Egyptian styling. It took 180 years to build (267 BC - 57 BC). 118 feet high, it was covered with another 50 feet of sand when discovered by a French Egyptologist who helped himself to the golden statue of Horus and a sacred boat (both now reside in the Louvre). It took 80 years to uncover the whole thing. Many, many more columns covered in hieroglyphics, lots of chambers, including a lab where they made perfumes and oils, and a Nile meter. The height of the river determined the amount of annual taxes. This is the most crowded site we've visited -- there were thousands of people, crammed into the same space. We wondered if we could clear it out by yelling, "Swine flu" instead of "fire." Ubiquitous hawkers -- a guy on the bus bought a red bra covered with gold coins for $10. He said it was for his girlfriend, but we hope to see him model it tonight at the galabayah party.

After sailing south a couple of hours, we visit Komombo, a temple dedicated to both Horus, the god of good, and Sobek, the evil crocodile god. The Egyptians worshiped Sobek to placate him. Gold was mined nearby (ombo means gold) and the temple was a commercial center that housed the only hospital in Upper Egypt. It was located on two floors of the temple and had four operating rooms. The first stethoscope was invented here (guess where it is now: the British Museum). All sorts of gruesome medical and dental tools are depicted on the hospital walls. Also represented is Egypt's first calendar, divided into three seasons -- flooding, planting and harvest. There are four months to a season and 365 days in a year. A huge tunnel runs under Komombo and all the way across the Nile to an island on the west bank where mangoes grow. The temple originally was built on the ruins of a Queen H temple, between 100 BC - 240 AD. Very well-preserved but heavily damaged in 1992 by an earthquake. The largest sugar cane factory in the Middle East is located in the city.