The ancient city of Pa-Sabek, which literally translates to “the domain of Sobek,” is topped by the ruins of the Temple of Sobek and Haroesis in Aswan. The house of worship is unique because it honors two distinct god families: the family of Horus the Elder, also known as Haroesis, and the family of Sabek, the god with crocodile-like heads. Two courts, two colonnades, two hypostyle halls, and two sanctuaries are housed on the temple’s two sides, which are perfectly symmetrical. Crocodile floats were prevalent in the temple grounds and nearby riverbanks of ancient Egypt.
Because Sobek, the god of fertility and protection from the dangers of the Nile, was frequently associated with Set, Horus’s adversary whose allies transformed into crocodiles to avoid retribution, the unusual pairing of the two major gods follows. The temple appears to have developed its own theology by combining universalist and local liturgies.
The impressive outer hypostyle hall, which has fifteen thick columns topped with floral designs and winged sun discs, is the temple’s main draw. There are also carvings of ritual and surgical instruments used to treat the sick at the site. Additionally, Haroesis was regarded as a healing god. Board games are thought to have been played by visitors while they waited for treatment in the temple’s hallways. The temple’s age, the bending of the Nile, and construction workers looking for stones have all left behind a lot of its remains.
The sandstone structure was first built by Ptolemy VI, a pharaoh, between 180 and 145 BC. Construction continued until Ptolemy XIII, who ruled from 47 to 44 BC. Shards from the First Intermediate Period, which lasted from 2181 to 2055 BC, were found on the grounds, indicating that the site is much older. There is also evidence of Roman influence, such as a forecourt built by Augustus and preserved images of Tiberius, the emperor. A large collection of enormous mummified crocodiles found in the area are on display in a nearby museum, which opened in recent times.
Even though significant finds have been reported all around the temple, excavation of the once-powerful city of Pa-Sabek still needs to be done, and there are bound to be additional artifacts from the past just below the surface.