Temple of Kom Ombo
Site, Abydos to Abu Simbel · also called Kom Ombo Temple, Temple of Sobek and Haroeris, Ombos
Kom Ombo is a double temple on the Nile, shared by the crocodile god Sobek and the falcon god Haroeris. Its walls carry a carved festival calendar, crisp Ptolemaic reliefs and Roman cartouches.
Kom Ombo stands on a bend of the Nile about 45 km north of Aswan. Most of the temple was built and decorated under the later Ptolemies, beginning with Ptolemy VI in the 2nd century BC, and work continued under Roman emperors.
The plan is unique: two axes side by side, with two gates, two halls of offerings and two sanctuaries. The southern half belongs to Sobek with Hathor and Khonsu, the northern half to Haroeris (Horus the Elder) with his own family. The texts on each side name their own gods.
Much of the front was damaged by the river and by later stone robbing, so the roof and many upper walls are gone. The inner halls and the corridor round the temple still keep fine, crisp relief, some of it with colour, at a height you can read.
What to see and read
Festival calendar
A wall lists the temple's feasts by month and day. It is a good place to see how Egyptians wrote dates.
Instruments relief
On the inner enclosure wall at the back, a Roman-period scene shows a set of tools before a seated god. They are often called surgical instruments; their exact purpose is debated.
Two sanctuaries
The twin shrines at the back, with the remains of a hidden passage between them.
Crocodile Museum
A small museum beside the temple shows mummified crocodiles from a nearby cemetery and objects inscribed for Sobek.
Signs to look for
- Falcon G5ḥr The falcon writes Haroeris, master of the northern half of the temple.
- Cloth on a pole R8nṯr The netjer sign marks the gods named in every offering scene.
- Sun N5rꜥ The sun disc writes 'day' in the dates of the festival calendar.
- Ankh S34ꜥnḫ The ankh is offered by both Sobek and Haroeris to the king.
- Cartouche V10 Cartouches of Ptolemies and Roman emperors fill the halls and outer walls.
Reading the hieroglyphs here
- Come late in the afternoon or after dark, when the temple is lit and side light brings out the relief.
- Walk the outer corridor round the back; the calendar and the instruments relief are there.
- Use Hiero Lens on a calendar entry: each date is short and repeats the same few signs.
Point your camera at a wall Hiero Lens boxes the signs and names them, on your phone; nothing is uploaded. On worn stone, trace a sign over the photo.
Questions
Why is Kom Ombo a double temple?
It was built for two gods, Sobek and Haroeris, each with his own gate, halls and sanctuary on parallel axes.
Are there medical instruments at Kom Ombo?
A Roman-period relief shows a set of tools often called surgical instruments. Scholars still debate whether they are medical or ritual tools.
Where it is
Open in OpenStreetMap · Written from published sources and not yet checked on site by our team: displays and open tombs change.