Of all the temple remains in Egypt, the Temple of Horus at Edfu is the most well-preserved and the only one we know to have been completed. Built from sandstone blocks the huge Ptolemaic temple was constructed over the site of a smaller earlier temple, oriented east to west, towards the river. It was begun in 237 BC by Ptolemy III Euergetes I and was finished in 57 BC. The temple initially consisted of a pillared hall, two transverse halls, and a barque sanctuary surrounded by chapels. The sandstone building was completed in three stages; the proper temple, where the statue of Horus was preserved, was the first part achieved, then came the outer hypostyle hall and finally the perimeter wall and the entry pylons. So much is known about the construction of the temple and its sections come from sets of inscriptions within the temple itself. These are called the Building Texts and were placed on the exterior walls of the Sanctuary and the Enclosures Walls. Before being discovered the desert sands were filed only by pillars at the entrance. The sand has helped to preserve the building which was found to be almost completely intact when it was first cleared and excavated by Auguste Mariette in the
Of all the temple remains in Egypt, the Temple of Horus at Edfu is the most well-preserved and the only one we know to have been completed. Built from sandstone blocks the huge Ptolemaic temple was constructed over the site of a smaller earlier temple, oriented east to west, towards the river. It was begun in 237 BC by Ptolemy III Euergetes I and was finished in 57 BC. The temple initially consisted of a pillared hall, two transverse halls, and a barque sanctuary surrounded by chapels. The sandstone building was completed in three stages; the proper temple, where the statue of Horus was preserved, was the first part achieved, then came the outer hypostyle hall and finally the perimeter wall and the entry pylons. So much is known about the construction of the temple and its sections come from sets of inscriptions within the temple itself. These are called the Building Texts and were placed on the exterior walls of the Sanctuary and the Enclosures Walls. Before being discovered the desert sands were filed only by pillars at the entrance. The sand has helped to preserve the building which was found to be almost completely intact when it was first cleared and excavated by Auguste Mariette in the