'Philae island'.. Rocky Retreat in Middle of Nile River South of Aswan

Tue 27 Aug 2019 | 01:17 PM

Ahmed Yasser

Philae is an island in Aswan, downstream of the Lake Nasser. It was the site of an Egyptian temple complex.

”Philae” was a rocky island in the middle of the River Nile, south of Aswan. It was called in Hieroglyphic “Apo” which means ”Ivory”. It was also known by the Greek “Elephantine” most probably because it was an important center of trade, especially for ivory. Ancient Egyptians built a beautiful and magnificent ”Temple” on this island for the ”Goddess Isis.

The Temple of Isis ”Philae” is one of the greatest Temples in Egypt, it occupies about a quarter of the island. It is also the temple’s main island with its huge, complete, pylons and beautiful scenes. It consists of the first pylon, which is a great traditional pylon with two towers and an open forecourt which leads to the second pylon.

Temple of Philae

There are other monuments on island including Kiosk of Trajan, Chapel of Osiris, Temple of Horus, Temple of Hathor, Gateway of Tiberius, Gateway of Diocletian, and the Temple of Augustus.

These region and the surrounding area flooded since the initial construction of the Aswan Low Dam in 1902. The temple complex was dismantled and moved to nearby Agilkia Island as part of the UNESCO Nubia Campaign project protecting this and other complexes before the completion of Aswan High Dam in 1970 and it was reopened in 1980.

The oldest remains of the Temple of Philae date back to the reign of King ”Taharqa”, who built the first church for the Goddess Isis. Sound and Light Show in Aswan