Interaction of relief and architecture at the pylon 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. Unusually, the twin towers of the great entrance pylon of the temple were planned as perfect mirror images of each other, both in their construction and in the rather curiously rendered scenes carved on their surfaces." [Wilkinson R., 2000: The Complete Temples of Ancient Egypt. Thames and Hudson]. "At the midsummer solstice on June 21, the pylon does not cast a shadow: it acts as a gigantic sundial! The decoration program of the court is dominated, however, by depictions of the festivities and offering ceremonies for Horus and his entourage." [Arnold D., 1999: Temples of the Last Pharaohs. Oxford University Press]. This photograph was taken when Eliot Elisofon was on assignment for American Institute of Architects, directing the Egyptian portion of the documentary on Ancient Egypt, March 1965 and September 1965.