Edfu Temple Colouring Page

Edfu Temple stands on the west bank of the Nile between Luxor and Aswan in Egypt. It is one of the most complete surviving ancient Egyptian temples and was dedicated to Horus, the falcon god of Edfu. Construction began under Ptolemy III in 237 BCE and ended under Ptolemy XII in 57 BCE, about 180 years later. Its long building history belongs to the Ptolemaic period, when rulers of Greek ancestry governed Egypt while supporting traditional Egyptian temple worship and art. The entrance is formed by two enormous pylon towers with a tall gateway between them. Large granite falcon statues once guarded this approach. Beyond the gateway are an open court, columned halls, smaller rooms and the sanctuary at the sacred centre. Edfu survived unusually well because parts of it became buried beneath layers of later settlement debris. French archaeologist Auguste Mariette cleared and restored sections in the nineteenth century. The walls preserve many carved scenes and inscriptions that help researchers understand temple rituals, festivals and construction. Traces of original paint also remind us that the reliefs were once colourful, not plain stone. This child-friendly page simplifies the decoration so the pylon shape, gateway and Horus falcon remain easy to see. Begin with pale gold, cream, light ochre or sandy tan for the pylon walls. Use a slightly darker brown below the cornice and inside the gateway to show depth. Colour the falcon statue warm grey, golden brown or blue-grey, with a bright yellow eye and small blue or red collar accents. The flagpoles may be dark brown, and their cloth flags can be red, blue, green or gold. Use fresh green for the palm leaves and turquoise for the little glimpse of Nile water. A light blue sky will keep the tall walls crisp. Try broad vertical strokes on each pylon and smooth curved strokes on the falcon's chest and wings. You can colour the large relief figures with a limited ancient Egyptian palette of red-brown skin, white clothing, blue-green details and golden crowns. Leave plenty of pale stone visible so the facade does not become busy. The twin towers, central doorway and proud falcon should remain the clearest parts of your finished learning page.

◫ A4 size✎ Bold outlines♡ Ages 3–8

Download JPEGHigh-resolution A4 image Download PDFPrint-ready A4 file

Make it an activity

Choose a favourite colour palette
Add a simple background
Display the finished artwork

Grown-up note: Please supervise printing and choose age-appropriate art materials.