Sobek
Kom Ombo and Herakleopolis
Egyptian Gods and Their Cult Centers

Enrich your trip to Egypt, learn more about the Ancient Gods whose monuments and temples you will s e on your Egypt Tour. Take day tours around Cairo to Memphis and Saqqara for sites of Gods of Lower Egypt. Travel by prearranged speciality excursions for the Gods of Middle Egypt. Many monuments and temples for the God of Upper Egypt are located in and around Luxor. Tours of Abydos and Dendera can be made by special arrangement. Visit other sites in Upper Egypt by Nile Cruise, Elephantine Island, home of Khnum the creator god is located in Aswan.

Sobek

Sobek, the crocodile god, was associated with the might of the Pharaoh. He was worshiped as a solar diety as Sobek-Re. One of his cult centers was Herakleopolis. The other cult center, Kom Ombo is the site of a beautiful Ptolomaic temple that is usually part of the itinerary of any of the Nile Cruises.

The Cult of Sobek and those of other animal gods used mumification of the animals as part of their ritual. The mumified animals were sold to worshipers as offerings to the God. Mummies of cats, ibis and crocodiles, as well as baboons have been found. In one recently excavated temple to Sobek, a hatching nursery was found. The eggs were presumably stolen from the crocodile nest and taken to the temple to hatch. There were a series of ponds to grow the crocodiles to size.

Today, crocodiles are still given deference in places where they cohabitate with man. This man-crocodile relationship is still one of wonder and respect, as the crocodile is believed to be crucial to the health of the watering places, but they will still take their toll in livestock and sometimes humans. The crocodile is, after all, one of the natural predators of man, the other being the Jaguar.

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