Horus temple
The Temple of Horus is located in the Egyptian city of Edfu on the west bank of the Nile. The imposing structure, 130 meters long and almost 80 meters wide, which was erected in honor of the god Horus exactly in the north-south direction, is visited by thousands of tourists every year. At the south entrance of the in 57 BC. Completed temple and former place of worship there is a 36 meter high, very well preserved pylon. The well-preserved interior of the temple, which forms the religious center of the temple, is mainly characterized by the granite Chapel of Horus. The walls and the huge ceiling of the interior are decorated with elaborate reliefs. There are also huge images of gods on the outer facade. In the entrance area of the temple there are two large falcon statues made of black granite.
180 years of construction
The temple is surrounded by an imposing portico made up of more than 30 large columns. The Temple of Horus, which is one of the best preserved temples in all of Egypt, is made almost entirely of sandstone. The construction of the Temple of Horus took a total of 180 years. There is also a much smaller temple, the Mammisi, which is also very well preserved. The two temples have developed into an important port of call for cruise ships on the way from Luxor to Aswan in recent years.
Catherine’s Monastery (Sinai)
The Catherine’s Monastery is located at the foot of Mount Sinai, the so-called Mount of Moses, near the small town of Milga. It is the world’s oldest still inhabited monastery of Christianity and one of the most important sights of the region, which every year attracts around 100,000 visitors from all over the world and countless locals under its spell.
UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2002
The entire monastery area, which was laid out in the 6th century at an altitude of 1,585 meters above sea level, is more than 100 hectares in size. The monastery itself, which has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2002, is 76×85 meters in size. The imposing structure was laid out as a large fortress. The Katharinenkloster houses, among other things, one of the most extensive and oldest monastery libraries in Christianity. More than 6,000 Christian manuscripts in a wide variety of languages are stored in four huge rooms. In addition, there are more than 2,000 valuable icons from the 8th and 9th centuries in the world-famous monastery.
Open a few hours a day
In order not to disrupt the ongoing operations of the monastery, the monastery is only open to visitors from all over the world in the mornings from Monday to Thursday. The monastery is closed on Fridays, Sundays and public holidays. Visitors can fortify themselves in a small café at the entrance to the monastery.
Karnak temples
The temple complexes of Karnak are among the largest in Egypt. They impress not only with their countless sights, but also with their unique insights into the country’s culture.
Temple under the sign of the Sphinx
The temples of Karnak are undoubtedly unique. Above all, the Amun-Re temple, which with its ten pylons reaches an impressive size, is a sight that travelers to Egypt should not miss. The other temples, which were originally built for the purpose of daily worship, are also a must. Be it the temple of Ramses III, which is still almost completely preserved today, the temple of Opet, which offers access to an underground Osiris tomb, or the temple of Ptah, which is also almost completely preserved.
Travel to the temple complexes of Karnak
The temple complexes of Karnak are located in the north of Egypt and are visited as part of various travel tours. The “Temple City”, as Karnak is also called, is particularly recommended for study travelers. There is hardly any other place where the culture of the country and the cult of the pharaohs are as clear as in Karnak.
Last but not least, a trip to the sanctuaries is worthwhile because the Talatat blocks, statues and the actual facilities are extremely well preserved. People interested in history get an insight into the history of Egypt that cannot be obtained in any other way.
The temples of Karnak are a tourist attraction, but have lost none of their fascination over the years. From the Temple of Chrome to the White and Red Chapel to the Holy Lake, which was once used to clean up the figures of the gods, Karnak is a unique destination for every traveler.
