VIEW IN THE TEMPLE OF EDFOO.
From Esneh to the foot of the first cataract there was no incident of importance. The boat stopped at two or three places where there were ruined temples, the most interesting being that of Edfoo. It was cleared out in 1864 by order of the Egyptian Government, and the rubbish that had been there thousands of years lay piled around it. The rubbish had tended to the preservation of the sculptures, and after the clearing was completed they were found to be in better condition than in most of the other temples.
The general plan of the building was much like that of the Temple of Denderah, and it was dedicated to the worship of the hawk. In the sanctuary is a cage hewn from a single block of granite, which was once the home of the sacred bird, who, no doubt, received the adoration of the faithful much against his will. He would have preferred freedom and a flock of chickens to the homage of the Egyptians, unless he was unlike the hawks of modern days.
HAGAR SILSILIS.
At Hagar Silsilis, or "the Rock of the Chain," the boat stopped to give an opportunity for seeing the quarries, whence great quantities of stone were taken for the construction of the temples at Esneh, Edfoo, Karnak, and other places. The excavations where the stones were cut have been partly filled by drifting sand, but enough of them remain to show how the work was done. The Nile is here only a little more than a thousand feet wide at its narrowest part, and there is a tradition that when ancient Egypt was threatened with invasion a chain was stretched across the river to prevent the passage of hostile boats. Frank made a hasty sketch of the place, and included in his drawing the column of rock where the chain is said to have been fastened.