The Temple of Edfu - The corridor rooms

edfu temple 12

On the left (west) is the Linen Room, flanked by chapels to Min and the Throne of the Gods.

In the back, a set of rooms nominally dedicated to Osiris has colorful reliefs of Horus receiving offerings (left room), a life-sized depiction of Horus' barque (middle room) and reliefs of his avatars (rear room in the right/east wall).

Continuing south in the right corridor is the New Year Chapel, with an impressive blue-hued relief of the sky goddess Nut stretched across the ceiling.
The west wall
The passage in the west wall leads to a corridor with reliefs of the triumph of Horus over Seth.

They depict a Mystery Play that was performed as part of a festival ritual, in which Seth appears as a hippopotamus lurking beneath his brother's boat.

At the end of the play, the priests cut up and ate a hippo-shaped cake.
A historical myth
It was believed that the Temple was built on the site of the Great battle between Horus and Seth.

Hence, the current Temple was but the last in a long series of temples build on this location.

It is said that the original structure housing a statue of Horus was a grass hut built in prehistoric times.

At any rate, there is an earlier and smaller pylon of Ramesses II which sits in a 90 degree angle to the current building.

**The main building, which includes a Great Hypostyle Hall, was uncovered by Mariette in the 1860s.
There are numerous reliefs, including a depiction of the Feast of the Beautiful Meeting, the annual reunion between Horus and his wife The

goddess Hathor

.
** The reliefs are mostly situated on the inside of the first pylon, and spiritually connect this Temple with The

goddess Hathor

’s Temple at the Dendera complex.

During the third month of summer, the priests at the Dendera complex would place the statue of The

goddess Hathor

on her barque and would bring the statue to the Edfu Temple, where it was believed that Horus and The

goddess Hathor

shared a conjugal visit.
** Each night, the god and goddess would retire to the mamissi, or berthing house.

There is still an entrance colonnade to the mamissi, and reliefs with considerable remaining color just outside the main Temple.

These images portray the ritual of the birth of Harsomtus, son of Horus and The

goddess Hathor

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edfu temple The east wall with reliefs