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Izbat Al Bayyarah in Markaz Kom Ombo, Aswan Governorate, Egypt — مصر (Northeast Africa)
 

Gate and Pylon

 
 
Gate and Pylon Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed by James Hulse, October 12, 2024
1. Gate and Pylon Marker
Inscription.  This monumental gate leading into the temple grounds was built by Ptolemy XII (80-51 BC), the father of the famous Cleopatra VII. Its west wing, like the front part of the temple forecourt, has been eroded away by the Nile. As for the eastern wing of the gate, it still retains its architectural and decorative features to this day.

Ptolemy XII is depicted conducting rituals and presenting offerings to a wide range of deities, including Sobek and Hathor, Shu and Tefnut, Geb and Nut, and Osiris, Isis, and Horus.

Beyond the gate, on the right and facing the Nile, is the temple's pylon, also built by Ptolemy XII. Pylons are monumental gateways that typically consist of two tapering towers. Their shape echoes the hieroglyph for the word 'horizon', which the ancient Egyptians thought of as a real and physical place from which the sun rose and set. Unlike most pylons, this temple's has the unique feature of having two entrances.

Captions
(Photo #1) Ptolemy XII presents offerings to Geb and Nut
(Photo #2) Ptolemy XII presents offerings to Sobek and Hathor


Arabic:
صرح وبوابة المعبد
بني بطلميوس الثاني عشر ( ۸۰ - ۵۱ ق.م) والد كليوباترا السابعة الشهيرة البوابة الضخمة المؤدية إلى المعبد التي تأكل جناحها الغربي على غرار الجزء الأمامي من المعبد بسبب نحر مياه النيل. أما الجناح الشرقي للبوابة ما زال يحتفظ بسماته المعمارية والزخرفية حتى اليوم .

يزين جوانب البوابة العديد من الزخارف والنقوش التي تمثل الملك بطلميوس الثاني عشر وهو يمارس طقوس تقديم القرابين لعدد من الآلهة؛ منها سويك وحتحور وشو وتفنوت وجب ونوت وأوزوريس وإيزيس وحورس.

أما صرح المعبد فيقع خلف البوابة على يمين الداخل في مواجهة النيل. وقد بناه أيضًا بطلميوس الثاني عشر. وعلى غرار المعابد المصرية فان الصرح مكون من برجين يحاكي شكلهما كلمة "أفق" بالهيروغليفية ) ، حيث اعتقد قدماء المصريين أن صروح المعابد هي المكان الحقيقي الذي تشرق وتغرب منه الشمس. وعلى عكس معظم الصروح، ينفرد صرح هذا المعبد بوجود مدخلين.

(1) الملك بطلميوس الثاني عشر يقدم القرابين للالهة جب ونوت
(2) الملك بطلميوس الثاني عشر يقدم القرابين للآلهة سوبك وحتحور

 
Erected by Ministry of Tourism & Antiquity, Aswan and unesco.
 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Anthropology & Archaeology. A significant historical year for this entry is 80 BCE.
 
Location. 24° 27.089′ N, 32° 55.697′ E. Marker is in Izbat Al Bayyarah, Aswan Governorate, in Markaz Kom Ombo. It is on Tariaq Bedon Esm. The marker is located on the grounds of the Kom Ombo Temple. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: Tariaq Bedon Esm, Izbat Al Bayyarah, Aswan Governorate 12813-01, Egypt. Touch for directions.

Regionally, it is in Africa, specifically in North Africa, in the Middle East, on the Red Sea, and in a coastal Mediterranean country. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Byzantine Empire, the Ottoman Empire, a British colony, and the Roman Empire.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Kom Ombo Temple / معبد كوم امبو (a few steps from this marker); Chapel of Hathor / مقصورة حتحور (a few steps from this marker); The Open-Air Courtyard (within shouting distance of this marker); The Temple of Ombos / Le temple d’Ombos (within shouting distance of this marker); Outer Hypostyle Hall (within shouting distance of this marker); Inner Hypostyle Hall (within shouting distance of this marker); Birth House / بيت الولادة (within shouting distance of this marker); Inner Halls and Twin Sanctuaries (about 90 meters away, measured in a direct
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line). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Izbat Al Bayyarah.
 
Also see . . .  Temple of Kom Ombo. Wikipedia
The building is unique because its 'double' design meant that there were courts, halls, sanctuaries and rooms duplicated for two sets of gods. The southern half of the temple was dedicated to the crocodile god Sobek, god of fertility and creator of the world with Hathor and Khonsu. Meanwhile, the northern part of the temple was dedicated to the falcon god Haroeris ("Horus the Elder"), along "with Tasenetnofret (the Good Sister, a special form of Hathor or Tefnut) and Panebtawy (Lord of the Two Lands)". The temple is atypical because everything is perfectly symmetrical along the main axis.
(Submitted on November 24, 2025, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.) 
 
Gate and Pylon and Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed by James Hulse, October 12, 2024
2. Gate and Pylon and Marker
Temple of Kom Ombo image. Click for full size.
Photographed by James Hulse, October 12, 2024
3. Temple of Kom Ombo
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on November 24, 2025. It was originally submitted on November 21, 2025, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 58 times since then and 37 times this year. Photos:   1, 2, 3. submitted on November 24, 2025, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.
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Nov. 10, 2026