IDFU

also called Edfu, or Behdet, Egyptian Djeba, Greek Apollinopolis, Coptic Atbo, town on the west bank of the Nile in Aswan muhafazah (governorate), Upper Egypt. The chief god of the city of ancient times was Horus of the Winged Disk, called the Behdetite. His consort was Hathor of Dandarah, whose statue during the late empire was brought to Idfu annually by boat on a ceremonial visit. The chief monument of ancient Idfu is the great sandstone temple of Horus, 451 ft (138 m) long and 250 ft (76 m) wide, standing on the site of an earlier temple of the 18th-dynasty (15671320 BC) period. The present building was begun by Ptolemy III Euergetes I in 237 BC and completed by Ptolemy XI in 57 BC. The work was frequently interrupted by nationalistic revolts in Upper Egypt. The decoration of the walls consists of inscriptions and scenes in relief that form a unique collection of temple liturgy as well as nationalism cloaked in religious imagery. The temple's simple plan along one main axis serves as the classic example of an Egyptian temple. Excavation of extensive mounds covering the ancient city and cemeteries of Idfu has yielded a rich harvest of ostraka (inscribed pottery fragments) and papyri. In the necropolis west and north of the town were found mastaba tombs of Old Kingdom officials and a number of Middle Kingdom burials. The modern town is a trading centre for grain, cotton, and dates, and it has a sugar factory. It is linked to the Cairo-Aswan railway by a bridge across the Nile River. Pop. (1986 prelim.) 45,737.