A visit to Philae Temple

The Philae Temple is an island-based temple complex in the reservoir of the Aswan Low Dam. It was originally located on Philae Island but, following the construction of the Aswan Low Dam in 1902, it was often flooded. Before the building of Aswan High Dam, completed in 1970, as part of a UNESCO project to preserve important buildings, the entire temple complex was dismantled and moved 700 metres to Agilkia Island. It was a mammoth feat of engineering!

More than two thirds of Philae's surviving structures were built in the Ptolemaic era, when the island became a prominent site of pilgrimage not only for Egyptians and Nubians but for pilgrims from as far as Anatolia, Crete, and the Greek mainland. Some of these pilgrims marked their presence with inscriptions on the temple walls. Many of these can still be seen today including inscriptions left by four Romans in 116 BC, the oldest known Latin inscriptions in Egypt. 

Along with the various contributions of Ptolemaic rulers, Philae also received additions from the Nubian kings Arqamani and Adikhalamani.

Later, the Roman era saw an overall decline in pilgrimage to Philae, especially from Mediterranean regions. Nevertheless, it remained an important sacred site, especially for Nubians, who continued to visit both as individual pilgrims and in official delegations from their government.

Christianity seems to have been present at Philae by the fourth century, at which point it coexisted with traditional Egyptian religion.

According to the sixth-century historian Procopius, the temple was closed down officially in AD 537 by the local commander Narses the Persarmenian in accordance with an order of Byzantine emperor Justinian I.

Today, the temple complex attracts tens of thousands of visitors from all over the world every year. It is a unique place, especially when seen in the hour before sunset 🌇!

After our temple visit, we called at a supermarket and a pharmacy to stock up on tissues, drinks, snacks and other essentials. We were all pretty tired at this point and just wanted to get to the ship, freshen up, eat, and get some sleep. Those of us who are going to Abu Simbel tomorrow have a 1.45am wake-up call! However, Nabil had other ideas and took us to his friend's perfume factory! It's not really my thing. One or two of our group bought something but most didn't. It added an hour to the journey and meant we didn't get to the ship until 8pm!

So, no time to explore our new surroundings - just a cursory look at our cabin (very nice!), a hastily-eaten dinner (delicious!), a quick shower and bed by 10!! 😀Read more