Idfu Travel Guide

 
by MonicaLouise
 
  •   Idfu
    by MonicaLouise
  •   Idfu
    by MonicaLouise
  •   Idfu
    by MonicaLouise
  •   Idfu
    by illumina
  •   Idfu
    by MonicaLouise
 

Pro

ATXtraveler profile photo

 Great Temple, Fun Horseride 


Con

Oana_bic profile photo

 Tricky people in the souk... 


In a nutshell

Kirthika profile photo

 Replay of any hindu Shiva temple visit. 

 

Explore Idfu

Things to Do  

Horus Temple

Horus Temple, Idfu

 solopes Says:  Started in the 3rd century BC, this is referred as the greatest and the best preserved temple in Egypt. Be prepared for long explanations by the guides, since the details are, here, easier to see and to understand (and the cooler inside helps a lot). After the hustle of the... 

Idfu/Edfu Temple

Idfu/Edfu Temple, Idfu

 DSwede Says:  Taking a river cruise along the Nile, you will most definitely stop at Idfu and visit the Temple of Horace. In all the temples that I visited in Egypt, this one definitely has some of the most impressive engravings and statues. Peruse through others tips and photos. I will... 

Temple of Horus

Temple of Horus, Idfu

 Kuznetsov_Sergey Says:  The Temple of Horus is dedicated to Horus - the falcon headed Egyptian god. It is considered that it was built during the reigns of six Ptolemies. Tourists have a great deal of information about its construction from reliefs on outer areas. Most of the work continued... 

Temple at Edfu

Temple at Edfu, Idfu

 Childish Says:  The temple at Edfu is the most preserved one in Egypt and this makes it very valuable since it reveals ancient Egyptian architecture and religious decorations on the walls. But we should have in mind that the temple was built at Ptolemaic times i.e. on one hand relatively... 

Outbuilding and Exterior Images of Temple of Horus

Outbuilding and Exterior Images of Temple of Horus, Idfu

 atufft Says:  These remaining images are devoted to the exterior walls which are large and in great condition. The reliefs require considerable study, time that I didn't have then, but wish I had now. There is also the entrance colonnade to the mamissi, which retains considerable color in... 

Temple of Horus Reliefs and Paint

Temple of Horus Reliefs and Paint, Idfu

 atufft Says:  There are numerous passageways, and I have many photos of them. The images here are a sample of what may be seen. One of the more interesting painted images of Nut, the goddess of the sky. Outside is the passage of victory that celebrates the triumph of Horus the falcon over... 

Great Hypostyle Hall at Temple of Horus

Great Hypostyle Hall at Temple of Horus, Idfu

 atufft Says:  Second in size only to Karnak, the great Hypostyle Hall is in a much better state of preservation. The Greek style capitals and stone ceiling show considerable smoke damage suggesting that for a period at least, the temple was occupied as a residence. There are numerous... 

Temple of Horus Entrance and Forecourt

Temple of Horus Entrance and Forecourt, Idfu

 atufft Says:  The first pylon is huge and has a comparatively large entrance gate, to the right of which stands a statue of the god Horus, the falcon headed son of Osiris and Isis. Seth killed Osiris, and so the Horus avenged his father's death, according to legend on this very spot.... 

Transportation  

Bridge across the Nile at Edfu

Bridge across the Nile at Edfu, Idfu

 Kuznetsov_Sergey Says:  There is a bridge across the Nile in Edfu. I was nearly surprised how low it was! Though our boat wasn’t very high with its 4 decks, when it was passing by the bridge a sailor had to incline the aerial that it had not touched the arches of the bridge. 

Horse Carriage - Fiacre

Horse Carriage - Fiacre, Idfu

 Kuznetsov_Sergey Says:  As the temple is on the distance of several kilometers from the bank of the Nile right after leaving boats tourists may see numerous horse carriages - fiacres. For the majority of tourists it appears a pleasant and unexpected surprise. You will agree, that the trip by a... 

Edfu (Idfu) harbor

Edfu (Idfu) harbor, Idfu

 Kuznetsov_Sergey Says:  Cruise boats, which begin their way from Luxor to Aswan, usually make their first stop in Edfu early in the morning.When we have moored to the bank at Edfu harbor, about ten moored boats already stood there. They are usually moored to each other. Therefore several chains of... 

Nile Cruise & Sunrise at Edfu

Nile Cruise & Sunrise at Edfu, Idfu

 Childish Says:  A stop at Edfu is included in the Nile cruise. If you take a cruise in direction from Luxor to Aswan your ship most probably will accost at Edfu late in the evening and then you will visit Edfu Temple early in the next morning as my case was. I used the opportunity to pick... 

To Edfu Temple by Kelesh

To Edfu Temple by Kelesh, Idfu

 Childish Says:  This is the usual transportation to the Edfu temple and back. The funny thing is the word they use for these cabs. Or at least, it is funny, to us, Bulgarians. The word Kelesh is definitely of Persian origin. It came in Bulgarian through Ottoman Turks but we use it nowadays... 

Shopping  

Go Egyptian shopping!
Kuznetsov_Sergey profile photo

4.5 out of 5 starsHelpfulness

Kuznetsov_Sergey 4507 reviews
Edfu - Go Egyptian shopping
2 more images

Fiacres arrive to the parking which is surrounded numerous trading shops. Tourist cannot reach the Temple of Horus which they want to see without passing numerous dealers. Sometimes it happens to be a difficult test. Dealers are very persevering. Sometimes their persistence becomes unpleasant.

If you have decided to buy something you should remember that there is nothing there which would cost more than $10! The most popular price is $1.

You may see the Egyptian bazaar on my Edfu Bazaar 1,17 minute VIDEO CLIP with Shag Rugge music.

Updated Aug 17, 2007

Related to:
 Festivals

Was this review helpful?

Local Customs  

Tourist Time

Tourist Time, Idfu

 solopes Says:  Several boats approach the harbour, and the struggle begins: hundreds of horse-drawn carriages flock to the adjacent streets, and, in a tremendous confusion, each guide dispatches his clients to the mandatory destination - Horus temple. No words can describe, the momentous... 

Extra payment for fiacre

Extra payment for fiacre, Idfu

 Kuznetsov_Sergey Says:  Cost of a trip on fiacre is usually included in cost of cruise. Therefore guides usually warn tourists of that they did not give in on requests of drivers to pay for a trip one more time. However it appears to be made uneasy. From quay up to the Temple our driver was... 

Warnings and Dangers  

Armed guards everywhere
Kuznetsov_Sergey profile photo

3.5 out of 5 starsHelpfulness

Kuznetsov_Sergey 4507 reviews
Edfu - Armed guards everywhere
1 more image

About ten years passed since the awful Luxor Massacre. It took place on 17 November 1997 at Deir el-Bahri – the West Bank of Luxor. I remember that days when the world has shuddered from this event.

The tourist industry was injured very much. During several years almost nobody from Western countries visited Egypt (except Russian tourists). Years passed and we forgot it. Nevertheless the danger still exists…

That’s why you can see a lot of armed guards everywhere.

Written Aug 17, 2007

Related to:
 Road Trip

Was this review helpful?

Favorites  

General background

General background, Idfu

 Kuznetsov_Sergey Says:  The town of Edfu (or another name Idfu) is located on the west bank of the Nile River almost on a half way from Luxor to Aswan. It means one hundred and fourteen kilometers south of Luxor and one hundred and eleven kilometers Aswan further south. Cruise boats which begin... 

Edfu Temple 2

Edfu Temple 2, Idfu

 miman Says:  Most visitors to the temple arrive by cruise boat and then take a horse-drawn carriage to the temple where vendors are ready to sell you all manner of souvenirs. Inside the temple's pylons is a large courtyard. Just before the entrance to the first of two hypostyle halls is... 

Edfu Temple

Edfu Temple, Idfu

 miman Says:  Of all the temple remains in Egypt, the Temple of Horus at Edfu is the most completely preserved. Built from sandstone blocks, the huge Ptolemaic temple was constructed over the site of a smaller New Kingdom temple, oriented east to west, facing towards the river. The later... 

Comments

Map of Idfu