The Temple of Horus in Edfu

ABOUT TOURISM

Ida Uhse was impressed by the Temple of Horus:
“Edfu, 18th of Jan. Arrived at 11am and continued to the Temple of Horus immediately after disembarking. The city’s primary deity was Horus, the sun god. Thirty years ago, there were Arab houses on top of and around the temple, but the temple was cleared on the orders of the then viceroy, Mariette, and can now be seen in its wonderful, almost completely original state, unlike any other Egyptian temple, despite the 2,000 years that have passed since its construction. [...] I too feel that this temple is the best preserved of all those we have seen.”

But she is also horrified by the tourists arriving with a boat chartered by tour operator Thomas Cook:
“After breakfast, we went down to the temple again to admire its beauty in peace and quiet. However, a Cook boat with 65 passengers had arrived in the meantime, and the crowd of travellers hurled themselves towards the temple on the backs of donkeys. We found it unpleasant to see these people and their guide walking around. The latter gave his explanations in a monotonous voice, which made a ridiculous impression on us.”

There are similar complaints in many travelogues from this period. Defining other people as “tourists” and yourself as a “traveller” is nothing new.