Kom Ombo is a Ptolemaic temple in a setting unlike any other in Egypt: perched on a bend in the Nile about 175 kilometres south of Luxor, it is half of a symmetrical double temple, each side dedicated to a different deity — Horus the falcon-headed sky god on the north, Sobek the crocodile god on the south. The plan mirrors itself exactly: two entrances, two sets of halls, two sanctuaries side by side.
The reliefs at Kom Ombo include one of the most interesting panels in Egyptian temples: what appears to be a wall of medical instruments — surgical tools, forceps, and scales — though the interpretation is debated. There is also a Nilometer — a gauge for measuring flood levels — still visible within the complex. Most visitors arrive as part of a Nile cruise and have limited time; if you are coming by taxi from Luxor, budget a full afternoon for both Kom Ombo and Edfu in combination.