Temple of Philae

Take a boat to the island temple of Philae, center of the cult of the goddess Isis. Similar to the plight of Abu Simbel, this temple complex was moved in order to save it from the rising waters of Lake Nasser. Our discoveries include the Temple of Isis, with its courtyards flanked by granite lions and walls covered in ancient gods and goddesses; and Trajan’s Kiosk, with its 14 majestic stone pillars.

The Philae temple complex is an island-based temple complex in the reservoir of the Aswan Low Dam, downstream of the Aswan Dam and Lake Nasser, Egypt.

Birth House
The Birth House (mammisi in Coptic) was a standard feature of Graeco-Roman Period temples. They are usually small separate temples located in front of the main temple for celebrating the birth of a child of the main deity of the temple, and where their Celtic rituals were conducted. This mammisi was dedicated to the birth of the god Horus, son of Isis. On the innermost wall of this small temple’s sanctuary is a scene depicting the myth of Horus, where he is shown an infant. Horus is being nursed by his mother Isis in the marshes of the Delta, where the two of them are hiding from Seth, the murderer of his father Osiris.Read more