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Day 71: In Edfu, halfway between Aswan and Luxor, we visited the Temple of Horus just as the sun was setting for the day. It was a mighty sight, architecturally imposing and impressively intact. Entering the temple we walked through the magnificent courtyard, into successive rooms with walls engraved from top to bottom with hieroglyphs depicting various local VIPs meeting the gods and being escorted into the afterlife.

Kate writes: A common feature of Egyptian art is the crowns of upper and lower Egypt. Figures are often shown wearing one crown to signify their land of origin, or in the case of Pharoahs, both crowns to symbolise the unification of the two states. At Edfu I was impressed by the realpolitik apparoach used in a large statue of Horus (in falcon form). When archaelogists excavated the site they realised that the single crown he wears is detachable and could be replaced by the upper or lower Egypt version crown depending on the ethnicity of visiting dignitaries.

Andrew writes: This was definitely the best of the temples that we have seen in Egypt and definitely worth a visit if you are going either to Luxor or to Aswan.