Philae Temple | Temple of Isis Philae

Why was the Temple of Philae built?

Dedicated to the worship of the goddess Isis. Isis is a goddess that became quite popular in ancient Egypt and other sections of the Roman Empire, the Philae Temple was the center of the worship of Isis and a common Pilgrimage site of ancient Egypt.

Where to find the Temple of Philae?

The Temple is now located on the Agilika Island in Aswan, near the Aswan Dam and The High Dam. Tourists usually take a bus or a car from their hotels or Nile Cruises, reach the shores of the River Nile and take a motorboat to reach the Agilika site after a short ride for around 10 minutes.

What Does Philae Mean?

The origin of the name Philae goes back to the Greek language and it means “the beloved one” or “the beloved ones”. The island and the Temple of Philae had another name as well during the Coptic period in Egypt. This name was “Bilac” which means “the end” or “the border”. This was because the Philae Island was the last section of Egypt during this period of time.

How Old is Philae Temple?

A temple complex was constructed on the Island of Philae. The most ancient among these ancient Egyptian constructions is that temple of isis constructed during the ruling period of Tuthmosis III in the 15th century BC of ancient Egypt.

The largest temple constructed in this Island was built during the 13th century BC. Afterward, Amenhotep and the Aresphonis erected two other temples.

However, the Philae Temple that still amazes the people who come from all over the world to visit Egypt was finished in 116 BC during the Ptolemaic period in Egypt. Many other Ptolemaic rulers of Egypt have also added their own contributions to this magnificent Temple.

The cult of Isis was spread from Egypt to other destinations like Rome and some sections of the Greek Empire. When the Romans took control of Egypt, the Roman Emperors recognized the importance of the Philae Temple complex and they built many additions to these temples.

This includes Julius Cesar who constructed a temple in the Northern section of the Philae. Moreover, many Roman and Byzantine Emperors had their own additions and buildings in the Philae Temple. This includes Justinian and Hadrian.

How was the Temple of the Philae rescued

Afterwards, after the construction of the High Dam in the 1960s, the situation has completely changed. This was because the site of the Island of Philae was located in the middle between the new High Dam and the old Aswan Dam that meant that most of the sections would be drowning under the water of the River Nile all year long.

 Moreover, due to the movement of the water on a daily basis to produce electricity, waves that exceeded 3 meters in height would reach the Island. This meant that these waves would ruin the rocks and stones of the monuments.

When the international community met to discuss the ways to rescue the monuments of the Island, there was a project presented by the Egyptian government to relocate these historical sites to the Agilika Island that was accepted by all the parties who participated in this project.

The project of the rescue of the monuments started in 1972. This was when large ships started positioning 3000 steel rods around the island to temporarily protect this ancient Egyptian site against the water and the waves of the River Nile.

Afterwards, archaeologists and hundreds of workers started taking photos of the different sections of the temple. Afterwards, they began dismantling the rocks and numbering them. The next stage was to transfer the rocks and putting them back in the same order as they were originally constructed and put it in a higher ground. Thank god they succeeded in rescuing this wonderful monument of ancient Egypt.

The Temple of Philae Structure

Today, guests coming from all over the world to tour Egypt to view and admire the greatness of ancient Egypt take boats to reach the Southern section of Agilika Island to witness the great complex of Philae.

The first thing the travelers see after viewing the whole construction from the water of the River Nile is the kiosk of Nectanebo II that was built in the 4th century BC and considered to be the oldest section of the Temple of Philae.

A large passageway that is surrounded by large columns leads the guests to the wonderful Temple of Isis, the main section of the Temple that is featured by the mix between ancient Egypt and the Greco-Roman styles of architecture.

Afterwards, the guest views the first pylon that was constructed by Ptolemy XII. The pylon has some scenes of the king defeating his enemies while the gods; Isis, Hathor, and Horus are watching to give such power to the king.

Inside the temple, there is the birth house of the goddess Isis that was mainly built by Ptolemy VI and modified later on by many other Ptolemaic rulers.

The small temple of Hathor that is featured with its wonderful scenes of singer and musicians with the god Bes among them, now occupies the Eastern side of the Island.

Nearby, there is the magnificent kiosk of Trajan that is famous for its amazing 14 huge columns that contain scenes of the Roman Emperor; Trajan being incensed by the gods.

The Temple of Philae is almost included in all Egypt travel packages that include a visit to the wonderful cities of Luxor and Aswan. With its marvelous architecture, decoration and its own unique magic and ambiance, it always amazes the guests of Egypt.