Egyptian Myths

The ancient Egyptian temples were built as cult temples for the worship of pharaohs considered the sons of the god Amun, the principal deity worshiped at Thebes.

The temple of Luxor, built by King AmenhotepIII between 1390-53 BC was the site of a yearly festival bringing together the people with the divine deities and through them, reiterating the divine rule of the current pharaoh. The temple was connected by a sphinx-lined entrance way to the temple of Karnak, and statues of the kings and ancient Egyptian gods were paraded down the Nile river in front of the people. Used as a place of worship continuously up to the present the temple was first a cult temple dedicated to the god of gods, Amun-Ra. During the Roman period it became a Christian church, later turned into a Coptic church. Eventually, a mosque was built over the site which to this day, is an integral part of the complex as a place of worship.

The best preserved of the cult temples is the Temple of Horus at Edfu. Built between 237-57BC, it was dedicated to the original falcon-headed Egyptian god, Horus, who was considered the sky god with eyes that represented the sun and the moon. Ancient Egyptian mythology has it that Horus was the child of the divine couple, Isis and Osiris. Raised by Isis and Hathor after Osiris was murdered by his brother, Seth, Horus avenged his father's death in a great battle at Edfu. Horus took the throne, with Osiris reigning through him from the underworld. Thus, all pharaohs claimed to be the incarnation of the "living king", Horus. The annual Festival of Coronation at Edfu re-enacted the divine birth of Horus and empowered the reigning pharaoh.

The temple of Abu Simbel, built by Ramses II in 1257BC in what was known as Nubia, was dedicated to the Sun god Re. This rock cut temple is the greatest massive façade of the seven temples built by Ramses II and is dominated by four colossal seated statues of the pharaoh and smaller statues of his family.

Among later cult temples built on the east banks of the Nile are those of Kom Ombo and the temple of Philae. These temples, built during the Ptolomaec and Roman periods still followed the more ancient practice by which temples of worship were erected on the east banks of the Nile, associated with life, while the west bank, linked to death, were the places of tombs and funerary rituals.

The unusual double temple of Kom Ombo was dedicated to Horus, the falcon god and Sobek, the crocodile god. A favored spot of crocodiles basking in the sun, Sobek protected locals from the threat of crocodiles. The best preserved Greco-Roman temple of Philae was dedicated to the goddess Isis, the "mother of god" - the giver of life, healer and protector of kings- who was a cardinal figure associated as well with funeral rites in the ancient world.

The Nile river has been pivotal to life and death in Egypt. On its eastern banks, its Egyptian temples were built to honor and worship the gods and living pharaohs. Egypt's tombs and funerary rituals were set on the river's west banks, marking death. Defined by east and west, Egypt's ancient temples tell the tales of its history, culture, mythology and rites of worship.