The Beautiful Philae Temple

Philae Island is located in the middle of the Nile in Aswan, Egypt, with an area of 76,000 meters and 4 kilometres from the Aswan barrage. The island where the Philae Temple is is the Egyptian gateway to the African continent, a link between Egypt and Sudan, and it is made up of a group of pink granite rocks.

The Temple of Philae is a beautiful place to visit in Aswan. In addition to the archaeological aspects, you will see many trees, roses, and palm trees bearing fruits. Visitors will also love the dry climate due to its location on the eastern bank of the Nile, making it one of the most essential southern promenades.

The History of the Philae Temple

Philae Temple was built in the 3rd century BC. It was dedicated to the worship of the goddess Isis. After that, the temples of Amenhotep and Arsenovis were built, and then the Temple of Hathor considered the last monument of Ptolemy, was completed before 116 BC by Eurogates II. The exciting thing about Philae Island is that it bears the characteristics of three civilizations: the Pharaonic era and the Greek and Roman periods. There are many monuments and architectural treasures on the island to prove it. The island was also considered an example of the fusion of ancient Egyptian religions due to its inclusion of monuments from the Christian era. You can also find the last text written in hieroglyphic script from 394 AD. It was believed that the Nubian Pharaoh Taharqa of the 25th Dynasty was the first one to build on this island. Nubians worshipped some deities, but they essentially followed the same Egyptian religion.

The word Philae is also derived from the Greek word ‘velay’, meaning beloved. Due to its association with folklore stories, it has been known in Arabic literature as Anas al-Wujud.

The island includes a group of temples, the most outstanding of which are Hathor and Amenhotep. These temples, historically devoted to the worship of the gods Isis and built by King Nakhtenbo in the first half of the fourth century BC, are the most outstanding.

After the advent of Christianity to Egypt, the temple was closed, and some of its chambers were converted for use in Christian worship. This is evidenced by the presence of crosses on the columns, altars, and engravings in the different rooms, as well as the imagery on the external wall of the place.

What Does the Philae Island Consist of:

1. The Temple of Isis:

The Temple of Isis is considered the main temple on the island. It was discovered in 1871 while constructing the railway line and it was found in good condition as the temple still stands tall with its four walls and roof with granite panels. The length of the temple is 19 meters, its width 15 meters, and the ceiling height is 7 meters. It is a quarter of the island’s area, and King Ptolemy III built it in the place of another smaller temple dedicated to Isis and the soldiers assigned to protect the southern borders of Egypt. Many Ptolemaic kings contributed to building the temple.

Inside is a hall that includes three rooms. In the eastern wall of the middle room are the Holy of Holies and inscriptions of offerings to the gods. The temple has a main door topped by an ornament a winged sun disk and a side door to enter and exit Al-Kaana. Around it are mud-brick buildings used as barracks for Roman soldiers, which shows that the temple has been continually used over the centuries.

2. The Temple’s Entrance:

This is where you start your journey through the temple, where you will be led into the main area, and you will see two towers and a central doorway, which is 18 meters high and is decorated with reliefs by Nectanebo. Then, you can enter a tower located west of the entrance with inscriptions by King Philometor, which will lead you to the Birth House. You will also see two granite obelisks erected by Euergetes II and two granite lions in front of the pylon. There is a gateway that has reliefs by Ptolemy II and Emperor Tiberius. On the east tower, you can see a considerable relief depicting Ptolemy XII grabbing his enemies by the hair and raising his club to smite them with Isis, Horus, and Hathor.

3. Inside the Temple:

The inner entryway section leads to the temple’s inner sanctum with a doorway 32 meters wide and 12 meters high, and the reliefs on the central doorway are by King Euergetes II. A small church was built in front of the doorway, and you will see faded early Christian paintings in the lower part of the doorway; you can see a relief of a person dedicating the slaughtered sacrificial animals to Horus and Hathor. Also, another inscription that you will see on the walls is that of the king presenting a garland to Horus and Nephthys and inscriptions of incense offerings to Osiris, Isis, and Horus.

4. The Courtyard of the Temple:

When you are in the courtyard, you will see structures fronted by colonnades on both sides. There is also a small building to the east with rooms for the priests. On the west side of the courtyard, there is the Birth House, which was dedicated to Isis in honour of the birth of her son Horus. the Birth House is surrounded by colonnades, inside, you will see inscriptions that describe scenes from the childhood of Horus. Most of the inscriptions on the walls and columns are made by Euergetes II, Neos Dionysos, Augustus, and Tiberius. Also, you will find a French inscription that memorializes Napoleon’s campaign and the pursuit of the Mamluks by General Desaix in 1799.

5. The Passageway to the Inner Part of the Temple:

As soon as you enter the passageway, you will find eight columns in the first room of the inner temple, where you will see the Coptic crosses and Greek inscriptions on the walls that show how the temple was converted into a Christian place of worship during the early Byzantine age under the Coptic Bishop Theodore.

Most of the inscriptions are now ruined, but you can still see some of them on the door on the south wall, where Horus is depicted seated on a bench with Nephthys and Isis, introducing the crowns of Lower and Upper Egypt. There is also an inscription that describes the tomb of Osiris at Abaton, with the body of Osiris borne by a crocodile.

On your left, unfinished inscriptions depict the king making grants of land, and above it are three lines in Meroitic cursive script. A famous inscription also depicts the god of the Nile, with a snake entwined around his body, pouring water from two jars under a rocky crag on which a vulture and a falcon are perched.

6. Gateway of Hadrian:

The gateway of Hadrian is located northwest of the Second Pylon. It was built during the era of Emperor Hadrian and was decorated by many kings like Hadrian, Marcus Aurelius, and Lucius Verus. Before entering the gateway, you will see inscriptions showing Hadrian making offerings to Osiris, Isis, and Harsiesis and Osiris, Nephthys, and Harendotes. Inside the gateway, inscriptions depict Marcus Aurelius in the presence of Osiris and Isis, and Marcus Aurelius also makes offerings of food, including grapes and flowers, to Isis.

7. Temple of Hathor:

The Temple of Hathor is a small temple located 50 meters east of the Temple of Isis, which Philometor and Euergetes II built in honour of Hathor. After the temple was built, the vestibule and the sanctuary were built by King Augustus, but they are now destroyed. When you enter the Temple of Hathor, you will see the main temple chamber and in front of it, two plant columns are linked to the walls. The corridor columns are decorated with lovely inscriptions of flute players, harpists, and the god Bes dancing and playing the harp.

8. Imhotep Temple:

On the north side of Philae Island, you will find Imhotep Temple, which was built in the Ptolemaic period to worship Imhotep, a former chancellor to the Pharaoh Djoser and a high priest for the sun god Ra. Years after his death, the legends surrounding Imhotep and his life grew, and he was gradually elevated to the level of a deity.

9. Kiosk of Trajan:

The Kiosk of Trajan, one of Rome’s most powerful emperors, is located southeast of the Temple of Hathor. It was built in the Roman Imperial period but left unfinished. The Kiosk of Trajan consists of 14 pillars. The roof was made of wood, but it disappeared over the years. During Trajan’s reign, it was the main entrance of the temple of Philae.

Other Interesting Locations on the Island

There are many things to find and explore on the island. In the northeastern corner of the island of Agilkia, there is a small open-air museum consisting of Philae Temple’s oldest blocks.

In the southern part of the island, there are the ruins of a temple dedicated to Mandulis, a local Nubian deity, and the remnants of a Nilometer, a structure used to measure the river’s fluctuating heights. There is also a small gate built by Hadrian and a ruined Horus temple.

Saving Philae Temple from drowning:

After building the Aswan Dam, the water of the Nile began to creep slowly into the temple. It was like a battle of life and death for the country to save the temple from drowning. This remained a problem for years, and the water didn’t recede until after two or three months.

Then, the Egyptian Government decided to build the High Dam, which created a massive problem for the Philae Temple and could have drowned it forever. This motivated the government to move quickly to save the Philae Temple and other historical landmarks nearby; in cooperation with UNESCO and other countries, a committee was formed that included 12 experts who met in April 1968.

The experts studied the situation and recommended a detailed study to move the temples from their place to another nearby island, 600 meters away, called Agelica. The nearby island is more than 60 meters high, which is essential to avoid water levels, and the cost of doing all that was about 5.9 million pounds.

The operation to rescue the Philae Temple began on 13 March 1971. The Philae Temple was dismantled into 40,000 stone blocks, which were numbered for reinstallation in the same old form on the island of Agelica using the latest scientific methods in restoration.

The island has an area of ​​13 thousand meters, and the temple floor was preserved as on the old island. They also planted the same type of trees that were planted on the old island. The island of Agelica was settled by blasting its rocks with dynamite, and then it became an island, and it opened in its new location on 4 April 1980.

Sound and Light Shows at the Philae Temple:

This is one of the fantastic things you can do when you visit Philae Temple; the show is always at night and is presented in English, French, German, Chinese, and Spanish. It is a great experience to watch while there as you visit the temple, and it adds an entirely different dimension to your journey. The show will tell you more about the ancient Egyptians, especially the Philae Temple and Isis.

The Philae Temple is one of the marvels created during the ancient Egyptian civilization and it is a must-visit for anyone intending to visit Aswan.