Sitting on a raised platform by the rushing waters of the River Nile, Kom Ombo temple is an unusual, one-of-a-kind Ancient Egyptian monument that can’t be found anywhere else on the timeless land of Kemet. Built as a double temple, Kom Ombo, is the only sanctuary that’s dedicated to two deities (Horus and Sobek) at once.

While the temple has much to offer from a mythological standpoint, Kom Ombo’s hieroglyphics details the use of surgical tools in ancient Egypt – a discovery that plays a huge role in understanding the development of medicine from the past to the present.

The temple is also a key into learning the life of farmers thousands of years ago and how they were taxed based on the water levels of the Nile.

Today, travelers can see all this and much more by taking a Nile Cruise to this amazing archaeological site and explore the ancient ruins to learn about the old history of the ancient land of Kemet.

See Kom Ombo and Edfu with a multi-day nile cruise

The Only Egyptian Temple for Two Gods

Kom Ombo, meaning “the Hill of Gold” is an ancient Nile temple which is the only one of it’s kind where a single temple is dedicated to two gods. This was an unusual feat as Ancient Egyptians were known for dedicating a single temple to a single god such as the Edfu Temple which is completely dedicated to Horus, Philae, an island temple only for worshipping Isis, and Dendera Temple dedicated to Hathor etc.

Kom Ombo, on the other hand, is a temple that is dedicated to both Horus (the falcon-god) and Sobek (the crocodile god). This double dedication was deducted to have been deliberate and representations of both deities can be seen side-by-side or in opposite columns in the temple, with each side dedicated to one god.

Not only does the temple have two deities in its hieroglyphics but the sections is also perfectly duplicated for the two gods with two sets of courts, hypostyle halls, sanctuaries and rooms.

See Real Crocodile Mummies

One of the things that Kom Ombo is famous for is it’s display of around 22 real crocodile mummies. As Kom Ombo was also built for Sobek, the Egyptian crocodile god, you’ll find plenty of these humongous Nile crocodiles preserved in the mummification process in the Kom Ombo Crocodile Museum that’s beside the temple.

Since the River Nile is home to large, dangerous crocodiles, in the ancient days, a swarm of these aquatic creatures (which was much more in number then than now) would climb their way to the temple. As Kom Ombo sat right by the bank of the river, this was a common occurrence.

Since the ancient Egyptians worshipped Sobek, it’s said that the people believed the crocodiles climbing into the temple was a sign of the deity and they would mummify these creatures in order to appeal to him and in hopes that these terrifying creatures wouldn’t attack the people visiting the temples.

These mummies can be seen in the museum today with some even kept in small chariots along with explanations as to why they were mummified.

See The Ancient Egyptian Calendar & Medical Inscriptions

If Edfu Temple is known for its hieroglyphics of incense and perfume ingredients, then Kom Ombo is known for its intriguing and very important display of the Ancient Egyptian calendar. This Kom Ombo Temple calendar counts the seasons, the weeks and the days in a year and the events happening on those days. It also doubles as a calculator where the number of offerings is jotted down on the wall in detail.

The temple walls also depicts the Ancient Egyptian’s knowledge of medicine with images of what looks like surgical tools used around 180-47 BCE or even earlier. What’s baffling is that these tools resemble the ones in medical fields today. The hieroglyphics also showcases their knowledge on childbirth and perhaps even advanced surgery.

4-Days Nile Cruise From Aswan To Luxor including Abu Simbel and Kom Ombo

Ablution Pools and Nilometer

Another fascinating sight to see in Kom Ombo is the Nilometer. Made in the form of a well with several steps leading down into a small pool, this Nilometer was both a scientific and political tool. It was used to mark the level of the nile and would tax the people accordingly.

It was by using this Nilometer that the pharaohs and the priests would determine the demand for water for agriculture purposes. The higher the water levels, the higher the tax rate would go and the lower the water, the lower the tax rates would come down. Other than the Nilometer, explorers can also find ablution pools that was once used by the priests.

How to get to Kom Ombo

With the temple sitting right on the edge of the Nile, there are two main options to visit the temple:

Nile Cruise Excursions

One of the easiest and best ways to explore Egypt is via a Nile cruise. Almost all nile cruise excursions take you to Kom Ombo and Edfu temples as well as Philae, Valley of the Kings, Karnak and Luxor temple. This way you don’t have to worry about the hassle of traveling between cities, you wouldn’t have to book separate hotels or worry about extra transportation costs and haggling with drivers for prices.

Nile cruises also come with their own English speaking tour guides, the tickets to all ancient sites would already be included in your price, along with 3 day meals through the entirety of your stay and accommodation. All you have to do is just follow the tour guide from one place to another.

You can choose from this list of Nile Cruise tours that fits your budget and traveling plans

By Train

A cheaper option to reach this temple along the river nile would be by the overnight train. The train, passing through multiple cities, usually makes a stop at Kom Ombo and travelers can quickly explore the place before heading back to the train in time to leave.