The town of Edfu, on the west bank of the Nile 56km south of Esna and 105km north of Aswan, is today an important centre for sugar production and pottery-making. Edfu was the place where the god Horus was worshipped and where the battle between Horus and his traditional enemy Seth in ancient mythology took place. The main monument at Edfu is the Ptolemaic Temple of Horus on the edge of the town and was first excavated by Auguste Mariette in the 1860s.
The Temple of Horus at Edfu is the best-preserved ancient temple in Egypt and the second largest after the Temple of Karnak.  The temple was built during the six reigns of the Ptolemies on the site of the great battle between Horus and Seth. Horus was the falcon headed god.