Viking Aton departed Kom Ombo (pop 410K) yesterday afternoon and sailed downstream all night to Edfu (pop 500K). Edfu is the site of one of the best-preserved temples in Egypt, the Temple of Edfu. The temple was built from 237-57 BC. It is dedicated to the Egyptian god Horus.
As with most of temples we’ve seen, the temple was partially buried in sand over the centuries. Edfu was buried 12m in sand with only the front pylons exposed when it was discovered in 1798. Excavation was begun in 1860. Today it is a great example of the carvings in these temples. They even show how the temple was built. One room even has hieroglyphics describing the formulations for 44 different perfumes and fragrances. Other carvings describe formulations to cure maladies and increase health.
Many of the human figures in the temple had been defaced by the later Coptic Christians who considered them to be pagan.

We sail for Luxor this afternoon.

After leaving Edfu, Viking Aton continued north to Luxor arriving around 6:30 in the evening. I have included a few shots to show that if you’re not in the irrigated area, it’s desert.
When we reached the locks at Ensa, we were greeted by a small armada of boisterous and persistent vendors selling all kinds of fabric goods. They would try to get the attention of someone on deck and throw a plastic-bagged article to them in hope that a purchase would be made. Most of the throws made it to the target. Some fell short and had to be retrieved and tossed back. The vendors boats were colorful and decorated.
Hard way to make a living.
Just a few more observations/learnings
- Egypt is virtually a police state. Armed police are everywhere. We have been through a number of checkpoints. Most major intersections have some sort of policeman present. When I asked our tour director about this, her response was they have a very low crime rate and want to keep it that way. Infrastructure and archaeology sites also have a heavy military presence. And of course we had armed security on all our excursions.
- An indication of how popular Nile cruising has become, the government now limits cruise boats to 300 each way a day.