Philae Temple
One of Egypt's Most Beautiful
The Philae temple was relocated in the island of Agilika, after being saved from the rising waters of the Lake Nasser. It is once a center of worship for the goddess Isis.
Whenever near Abu Simbel or Aswan, hop on a felucca (a traditional Egyptian boat) to get to the Agilika Island and visit this amazing temple.
123EgyptTours.com provides daily tours to Abu Simbel as well as the southern city of Aswan.
Temple of Philae: Honoring the God Isis
Philae, used to be an island in the Nile River that is home to a majestic temple complex dedicated to the god Isis. However in1960’s in efforts to save the temple UNESCO together with the Egyptian Government dismantled the whole temple complex and transferred it to Agilika Island.
Today the actual island of Philae is underneath the waters of Lake Nasser, though you can still visit the original complex at the Agilika Island.
The Philae Temple is known to be the center of worship to the goddess Isis, goddess of motherhood, magic and fertility. Isis is also known to be the mother of the powerful goddess Hathor, creator of the world. Many ancient beliefs included the reason for the Nile River to have flooded yearly is because of Isis’s tears flowing because of her sorrow for her dead husband Osiris. Many historians believe that given the number of structures and its appearances that it took about 800 years to complete the construction of this temple complex.
Since it is built on a remote island, the whole island itself became a residence for many priests and people involved in the construction, including stonemasons and carpenters who led their whole lives to complete the construction.
Relocation Projects
The Philae Temple Complex was subject to many restoration and relocation. When the Aswan Low Dam was completed by the British in 1902, the Temple was endangered to being flooded and destroyed. The temple was heightened twice then from 1907 to 1912 and as well as from 1929 to 1934. When the construction of the High Dam progressed it was then decided to be completely relocated at the Agilika Island in order to preserve the whole temple. Led by UNESCO, they were able to successfully formulate a plan to take out the temple piece by piece. The physical part of the project lasted for 3 years from 1977 to 1980.
123EgyptTours.com provides you with the best tours to Agilika Island to see the temple of Philae.
