The Temple of Philae
Philae
Island 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 centre of
trade, especially for ivory.
The Ancient Egyptians built a beautiful
and magnificent Temple on this island
for the Goddess Isis, but the
Temple
became submerged after the first Aswan
dam was built in 1906, and it was not
until the seventies that many nations
attempted to save the Temple. All these
countries, together with UNESCO,
selected a suitable place, but they had
to wait until the completion of the High
Dam, in 1971, which would stabilize the
level of the water around their chosen
island. The new island was called
Egilica (also called Agilika), and it
was completely reshaped to imitate
Philae Island as closely as possible.
Firstly, a cofferdam was built around
the Temple and the water was drained.
Next, the Temple was dismantled and
transferred, stone by stone, from the
submerged Philea Island to the
redesigned Egilica Island. Each and
every stone had to be numbered, and then
replaced, in the same position, in the
new location. It was a massive, and very
complicated, project taking over 9 years
to be accomplished.
The Temple of Philae was reopened in
1980!
The Temple of Isis
The Temple
of Isis is one of the greatest Temples
in Egypt and it occupies about a quarter
of the island. It is the main Temple on
the island, with its huge, complete,
pylons and beautiful scenes.
The construction began during the reign
of King Ptolemy II, and then other
Ptolemaic Kings (Ptolemy’s IV, V, VI,
VII and XI) contributed by adding more
parts to the main Temple.
The Temple is built in the same style as
the Temples of the New Kingdom, as well
as some other elements, which appeared
in the Greco-Roman period, such as the
Mamisi (the House of the divine birth of
Horus), and a Nilometer.
The Temple of Isis consists of The 1st
Pylon, which is a great traditional
pylon with two towers, and an open
forecourt, which leads to the 2nd pylon.
On the
left side of this court is the Mamisi,
which has scenes depicting the birth of
the God Horus by his mother Isis.
The 2nd Pylon leads to a Hypostyle Hall
with 10 columns, and then 3 vestibules
leading to a sanctuary.
The oldest remains, of the Temple of
Philae, date back to the reign of King
Taharqa (25th Dynasty), who built the
first chapel for the Goddess Isis.
In
addition to the main Temple of Isis
there are other monuments here, such as
The Kiosk of Trajan, the Chapel of
Osiris, The Temple of Horus, The Temple
of Hathor, The Gateway of Tiberius, the
Gateway of Diocletian, and the Temple of
Augustus.
The
Temples of the island were neglected,
and some of them even destroyed, after
the persecution of the Christians by the
Roman Emperors. During the reign of the
Emperor Justinian (527-565 A.D), the
main Temple was converted to a church.
