Back to the cruise ship and sailing South towards Kom Ombo, we have time to relax and enjoy boat life: swimming pool, deck bar, river sights...
Actually, one of those sights is Gebel Silsila. This is one of the quarries used during the New Kingdom, to build temples like Karnak and the Ramesseum. It was also an important site for the Nile cult and fro the and ship it's possible to see many inscriptions ans small shrines, including the Speos of Horemheb.
Kom Ombo is one of the first Egyptian nome, and it was known as Pa-Sebek (The Land of Sobec - The Crocodile god). The Kom Ombo Temple is dedicated to Haroeris (Horus the Elder) and Sobek. Being dedicated to both gods (instead of to one and having shrines to other gods), the plan of the temple is perfectly balanced: twin entrances, parallel along their axis, with connected hypostyle halls and twin chapels.
Interesting details include the crowning of Ptolemy XII by Nekhbet and Wadjet (the vulture and snake goddesses of Upper and Lower Egypt) and a small offering calendar, tiny in comparison to the one we saw in Medinet Habu. The outer passage, used by the people going to nearby hospital, contains as well another interesting relief, with a number of surgical instruments.
Besides the temple we can visit the Crocodile Museum, with a collection of mummified crocodiles and other crocodile themed statues, reliefs, etc.
And on arriving back to our rooms onboard, a crocodile on our beds!!
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