The colonnade of the peristyle court of Ptolemy XII of the Horus temple, Idfū, Egypt

"The site of ancient Djeba (Arabic Edfu) was the traditional location of the mythological battle between the gods Horus and Seth; and its sandstone Ptolemaic temple, dedicated to Horus, is the most complete and best preserved of all the temples in Egypt. It was evidently begun by Ptolemy III in 237 BC and completed 180 years later in 57 BC. The hypostyle hall was completed in 122 BC; and the outermost elements -the peristyle court with its 32 paired columns of various type and the entrance pylons- were finally added in 57BC, in the reign of Ptolemy XII. The columns have chamfered bases, which sit on flat plinths above the pavement." [Wilkinson R., 2000: The Complete Temples of Ancient Egypt. Thames and Hudson]. This photograph was taken when Eliot Elisofon was on assignment for Life magazine and traveled to Africa from January 8, 1947 to end of June 1947.