Eye of Horus: Where To Travel To and See the Sacred Symbol
Ancient Egypt has fascinated historians and the general public for generations, with the iconic deities of its mythology and the incredible structures the civilizations left behind never fail to intrigue. One of the most prevalent symbols of this field, and seemingly one of the most important to the people of Ancient Egypt, is that of the Eye of Horus. Here, we’re looking into its meaning, how it remains relevant, and where to go to see its true form.
Eye of Horus Remains Prevalent Beyond Ancient Egypt
As detailed by Ancient Egypt Online, the Eye of Horus is the left eye symbol that links back to Horus, in mythology, losing his left eye to his uncle, Set. Horus overcame this conflict, coming back stronger and wiser to exact his revenge. It was later restored by Hathor. So, the Eye of Horus represents health, restoration, and protection.
A classic tale of family dispute between male figureheads, we have seen Horus and his symbol appear often in modern media because of the intense story behind it and the inherent mysticism of ancient Egyptian myths. Probably the most grandiose example of this was the 2016 film Gods of Egypt, which follows the Set-Horus tale.
Elsewhere, the symbol and deity are the key to discovering ancient mysteries and the riches hidden deep in the tombs. So, it makes sense that the Eye of Horus Megaways casino game makes use of the symbol. The expanding Horus Wild symbol can be very useful in making wins, while the Horus Eye symbol is the highest-paying. These game features aligns with the Eye of Horus' history as a lucky and prosperous symbol.
While the Eye of Horus is the focus here, it’s important to note that the Eye of Ra is often confused with this symbol. The Eye of Ra is very similar, but lines up as the right eye. Luckily, Egyptologists say that they were used interchangeably. So, you can even see a similar symbol in the classic sci-fi film Stargate, where the Eye of Ra is pivotal to understanding what’s going on in the world.
Finding the Eye of Horus on Your Travels
The Eye of Horus is iconic and well worth finding. Of course, the only place to start is Egypt, and when you get there, you’d be surprised at just how prevalent the Eye of Horus and the Eye of Ra are across all of the ancient structures. To get going, you’ll want to start by booking a flight to Luxor.
Luxor is around two-and-a-half hours north of where you want to go, so you’ll likely want to hop on a bus to Edfu. There are many temples here, but the one you’ll want to focus is the Edfu Temple, also known as The Temple of Horus. The former is a colossal and incredibly well-preserved, with distinct carvings around and throughout the building.
If you’d like a closer look at a more vast curated collection of Eye of Horus symbols and other artifacts, you’ll need to head much further north. Passing Luxor, it’s then around seven- and-a-half hours to Giza. Here, you’ll find the Egyptian Museum and the Grand Egyptian Museum, both of which house many amulets and carvings of the symbol. You can also get a taste for these with the online Egypt museum, which has several pages of amulets.
If you want to experience the iconic Eye of Horus symbol and truly feel just how important it was to the people of Ancient Egypt, your best destination is Edfu in Egypt.