Kom Ombo Temple: the double temple of Sobek and Haroeris

Kom Ombo is a double temple, shared by two gods: Sobek the crocodile and Haroeris, Horus the Elder. It stands right on the bank of the Nile, and what you see today was built and decorated in the Graeco-Roman period.

Listen to the Kom Ombo Temple audio guideAbout 2 minutes.

Kom Ombo, north of AswanThe temple stands right on the bank of the Nile

Day 2 or Day 3Day 3 afternoon on the 4-night cruise, after Edfu. Day 2 on the 3-night cruise, in the morning or at sunset, depending on the ship

Ticket includedEntrance is part of every cruise price

What to look for

Four things not to miss in the double temple.

01Two gods, one templeThe front

Two parallel axes run through the columned halls to two sanctuaries: the southern one for Sobek, the northern one for Haroeris.

02The front of the templeLate afternoon

The earliest royal name here is that of Ptolemy VI, and much of the decoration was finished under Ptolemy XII.

03The hypostyle hallInside

Tall columns with carved capitals, and walls covered with festival calendars and scenes of ritual.

04Osiris on the columnsIn the halls

Osiris, lord of the afterlife and father of Horus, is carved in relief on this column, with lines of hieroglyphs above him.

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Look closer

The surgical instruments. In the Roman period, in the second century AD, a scene was carved here showing what are believed to be surgical instruments.

The Crocodile Museum. Next to the temple, a museum opened in 2012 shows mummified crocodiles from 2 to 4.30 metres long, statues of Sobek, and teeth of mummified crocodiles in gold and ivory.

A short history

There was already a temple here in the New Kingdom, about 1550 to 1069 BC. The present temple belongs to the Graeco-Roman period: the earliest royal name in it is that of Ptolemy VI, who ruled from 180 to 145 BC, and much of the decoration was finished under Ptolemy XII, from 80 to 51 BC. The name Kom Ombo comes from the Arabic kum, a mound, and the ancient name Nubt, the golden city.

On which cruise

Every cruise we sell visits Kom Ombo with a licensed Egyptologist.

3 nightsAswan to LuxorDay 2Morning or sunset, depending on the ship 4 nightsLuxor to AswanDay 3Afternoon, after Edfu in the morning 7 nightsLuxor to Aswan and backIncludedPart of the full week on one ship

Good to know

Is the entrance ticket included?

Yes. Entrance to Kom Ombo is part of the price on every cruise we sell, together with the other sites on the programme between Luxor and Aswan.

Is it far from the ship?

No. The temple stands right on the bank of the Nile.

Do we see Edfu the same day?

Yes. Kom Ombo and Edfu are visited on the same day of the cruise.

See Kom Ombo with our Egyptologists

Tell us your dates and we will send back two or three ships that fit, with real prices.

Plan my Nile cruise

See also Edfu Temple, visited the same day.