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In a combination of wonders from era’s thousands of years apart, a spectacular sound and light show is showcasing Egypt’s Edfu Temple in a whole new way. The ancient monument is now an even more popular stop on the country’s tourist-trail, thanks to some hardy equipment installed in an extremely delicate manner.
When visitors arrive at the Edfu Temple, a 2,200-year-old landmark located in the desert 500 miles south of Cairo, they are greeted with an imposing sound and light show that brings the mysterious world of ancient Egypt to life.
It’s an intriguing juxtaposition of state-of-the-art technology and Ptolemaic history - sonic clarity from weather-protected Meyer Sound systems and large-scale projection from four Christie Roadster S+20K 3-chip DLP devices elevates the storytelling, and helps provide travellers with a new way to experience the ancient monument and Egyptian mythology.
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The Edfu Temple - also known as the Temple of Horus - is the second largest surviving ancient Egyptian temple (after Karnak) and one of the best preserved. The 50-minute sound and light show is part of a US$6 million project completed in 18 months and managed by Misr Company for Sound, Light and Cinema.
“We added a sound and light show in Edfu for three main reasons,” explains the company’s chairman and managing director Essam Abdel-Hady. As well as taking advantage of the preserved state of the site, he says economic reasons were a drive behind the project.
“Passengers on a Nile cruise docked overnight in Edfu previously had very few evening sightseeing options. This project is also a way to develop the economy of Edfu, which is not a wealthy town,” says Abdel-Hady.
“Our goal was to create a show that would set a new benchmark for permanent sound and light shows at historic monuments,” says Sabine Weissinger of Germany-based Casa Magica, designer for the Edfu show.
“The Meyer Sound loudspeakers are able to deliver a full orchestra sound as well as delicate solo instruments, choir and reciting voices.”
Phil Lord, Christie’s sales consultant, Africa was on-site during the planning phases to demonstrate the potential of the company’s projectors in the show.
“We are able to use just two 20Ks stacked, with the lamps run at 60 per cent of their power. This way we are not only energy efficient but we have full redundancy in the event of any faults,” he says.
These are mounted on pylons 70 feet from the ground, and encased in two temperature-controlled cabinets to protect them from dust, sand and heat.
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