Edfou (Edfu);
in Egyptian,
Teb; in Coptic,
Atbô; called also Apollinopŏlis Magna. A town of Upper Egypt on the left bank
of the Nile. It was founded by Ptolemy IV. (Philopator) in the third century before Christ,
and is famous for the remains of two temples, the larger of which is the best preserved of any
in Egypt. An illustration of it is given on page 26. Its length is 451 feet, and the breadth
of its façade, 250 feet. It is entered by a gateway 50 feet in height between two
immense truncated pylons 115 feet high, the whole surface being covered with sculptures
and inscriptions in bas-relief. See
Mariette, Monuments of Upper Egypt
(1877); Lepsius,
Denkmäler aus Aegypten und Aethiopen
(1849-60); and Brugsch,
Reiseberichte.