The Temple of Kom Ombo

It stands right on the bank of the Nile between Edfu and Aswan, surrounded by sugarcane fields. The Kom Ombo Temple is unusual in that it is a double temple which is jointly dedicated to Haroeris (the medicine god) and Sobek (the crocodile god) is famous for its twin entrances, halls and sanctuaries. Sculpted wall reliefs include one showing ancient surgical tools, bone sawas and dental tools. Three mummified crocodiles were found close by and are now in the Chapel of Harthour.

The design is almost perfectly symmetrical, with two side-by-side sanctuaries and two parallel passageways leading through the outer parts of the temple. The right side is dedicated to Sobek-Re (the crocodile god combined with the sun god Re), along with his wife (a form of Hathor) and their son Khonsu-Hor. Sobek is associated with Seth, the enemy of Horus. In the myth of Horus and Osiris, Seth and his followers changed themselves into crocodiles to escape. The ancient Egyptians believed that by honoring the fearsome crocodile as a god, they would be safe from attacks. The left side is dedicated to Haroeris, the "Good Doctor" (a form of the falcon-headed god Horus the Elder) along with his consort Ta-Sent-Nefer, the "Good Sister" (another form of Hathor).