Philae, Isis Temple , The Pearl of Egypt, was a beautiful island surrounded by clear blue water and black granite boulders.
- Nearby, the larger island contained the burial place of Osiris, an unapproachable sanctum within a sacred grove. This site was the southernmost in Egypt proper.
Sacred Isis Temple History
- Isis, the sister and devoted spouse of Osiris, lived in the temple of Philae. According to the ritual, she would visit her husband on special occasions, traveling the short distance in her sacred bark amidst solemn ceremonies.
- The temple of Isis on the island of Philae gained fame during the Graeco-Roman period.
- After the earlier dam’s erection at Aswan, the floodwaters inundated the island, leaving only the tops of the pylons visible above the water.
- The construction of the much higher Sadd el-Aali (The High Dam) threatened to engulf the island permanently. As a result, the entire sacred complex of Philae had to be moved to the nearby, higher island of Agilkia.
Philae The scared Isis Temple Architecture
- The sacred precinct of the temple, which includes several buildings, occupied most of the small island.
- Visitors approach the main temple via a long esplanade flanked by beautiful columns.
- Two granite lions stand in front of the first pylon. On the walls of the temple of Philae, the latest hieroglyphic and demotic inscriptions were recorded. The complex includes the Pavilion of King Nectanebo (30th Dynasty), the main temple of Isis and her son Harpocrates (Horus the Child), the Gate of Hadrian, the Temple of Hathor, and the Kiosk of Trajan.
- The Pavilion of Nectanebo features composite columns with floral capitals and historian abaci, showcasing a female face with cow’s ears.
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