Temple of Philae in Aswan, Egypt – Egyptian Temples

Discover the history of the Pharaonic civilization “Ancient Egypt History” and the secrets of building the temple of the goddess Isis, the most important Egyptian temples and Pharaonic Egyptian Monuments in Nubia, the civilization of Ancient Egypt.

what are the stages of saving and transporting the temple, a map of the temple from the inside, the reason for construction, the times of the sound and light shows, entrance ticket prices, and more to start your tourist trip to visit the tourist attractions in Egypt, in addition to learning about the tourist attractions in Aswan.

Temple of Philae Facts

Construction date: 690 BC

Why the name?

The word Philae comes from the Greek word “philos” which means love, and the temple was named the Palace of Ins Al-Wujud by the Arabs..

The origin of the name of the Philae Temple among the Arabs as the Palace of Ins Al-Wujud goes back to the fact that the minister’s daughter loved the king’s son.

When the minister found out about the matter, he sent his daughter to the temple to keep her away from the king’s son, but as time passed, the king’s son continued to search for her until he met her on the island of Philae in the temple..

What is the reason for building the Philae Temple?

The main purpose of building the temple is to worship the God Isis, the most famous Egyptian deities – Ancient Egyptian gods and Goddesses in the third century BC, as it was one of the most important religious beliefs and Ancient Egyptian religion among the Pharaohs for all ages until the Greek-Roman era in ancient Egypt..

The Temple of Philae was built in the Ptolemaic Kingdom and then developed in the Roman Kingdom era, where it was dedicated to the worship of Isis and the God Hathor.

King Nectanebo I, the most famous Egyptian Pharaohs kings of the Thirtieth Dynasty of Egypt in the Late Period, developed it and made engravings and drawings on the walls and partitions to indicate the development of Sculpture in Ancient Egypt and the art of Architecture in ancient Egypt.

Map of Philae Temple from the inside:

It was built during the reign of King Ptolemy II and then developed by King Ptolemy III Euergetes.

You will find a 50-foot-high stone and in front of the monument are two statues of granite (Ancient Egyptian Metallurgy) in the form of two lions, in addition to columns with flower crowns on the sides..

You will also see a slightly smaller pylon and then the transverse hall that leads you to the inner chambers and the Holy of Holies of the temple..

Your tour inside the Philae Temple begins at the gate of King Ptolemy II, where you will see two statues made of pink granite and two Obelisks, the most famous obelisks of the Pharaohs, made of pink granite..

You will see hieroglyphic texts on the base of the Egyptian obelisks, which played an important role in helping Jean-François Champollion decipher the Rosetta Stone and learn about the Ancient Egyptian Language.

You will see Pharaonic engravings on the first pylon telling the legend of Isis as in the Egyptian Mythology and Ancient Egyptian Literature, and drawings on the wall of the eastern tower of King Dionysus holding enemies, in addition to other drawings of the king presenting the crown to the gods Horus and God Nephthys, and another scene of the king offering incense to God Horus and Isis..

You will see the birth house inside the temple, as the Pharaohs of the Ptolemaic era were interested in leaving their mark inside the Egyptian Mortuary Temples, which is building a special house that tells the legend of the birth of Isis..

On the walls you will see Horus in the form of a falcon wearing a double crown and Isis holding Horus in her arms..

It was a religious belief of the ancient Egyptians that the king performed a ceremonial ritual for the birth of Horus..

Then you head to the Hypostyle Hall and begin your tour to see the rest of the Philae Temple and the antiquities on Philae Island..

Philae Island contains pharaonic statues of pharaohs in addition to a group of ancient temples, which are::

Ruins of King Taharqa of the Twenty-fifth Dynasty of Egypt, known as the Age of the Black Pharaohs.

Temple of Isis

Shrine of King Nectanebo I of the 30th Dynasty

Roman column rows

Temple of Aresinophis from the Roman and Greek era

Temple of Mandulis from the Roman era

Temple of Imhotep from the Ptolemaic period

Temple of Hathor from the Ptolemaic period

Emperor Trajan cabin

Niktanibo Kiosk:

You will see a large hall containing 14 columns with unique Pharaonic engravings. Upon entering the hall’s corridor, you will see engravings of the king offering sacrifices to the gods, in addition to the Hathor columns topped with wooden crowns, indicating the development of Industry in ancient Egypt.

It is a hall with columns, containing 14 columns, the walls of this vestibule are decorated with inscriptions of the king, sacrificing many things to the gods, the walls of the kiosk are connected by Hathor columns and topped with wooden sculptures and more about the Philae Temple.

Temple of Hathor on Philae Island:

After finishing your visit to the Temple of Isis, you will find the Temple of Hathor, where you will find engravings of musicians and drawings of the God Bes, the god of joy, playing the tambourine and drum and dancing, as was believed by the Pharaohs, and it indicates the extent of the development of Music in Ancient Egypt.

Temple of Imhotep:

You will find a small temple on the northern side dedicated to the worship of Imhotep from the Ptolemaic period, then head to the open courtyard known as the “Mammisi” birth house.“

After the construction of the High Dam, the waters rose significantly in Lake Nasser and swept away all parts of the Philae Temple.

Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities and the Egyptian government moved all parts of the temple to Agilkia Island and the rest of the surrounding islands to preserve the Pharaonic heritage and world heritage sites in Egypt “Egypt Archaeological Sites“.

To the southeast of the temple you will find Trajan’s Kiosk, “Pharaoh’s Bed”, dating back to the Roman era. You will find 14 columns in two rows and two entrances, one from the east and the other from the west. You will see Pharaonic engravings of Emperor Trajan offering sacrifices to the goddess Isis and the God Osiris..

Save the Temple of Isis:

After the completion of the construction of the High Dam, the Nile River waters flooded the temple throughout the year, in addition to the problem of generating electricity, which produces ripples in the water, causing the water level to rise 3 meters throughout the year, which causes the stones to erode..

The Egyptian government has joined forces with UNESCO and international organizations to protect the Pharaonic monument and transfer it after dismantling and reassembling it to Agilika Island in Aswan..

The transportation client started in 1972 AD and was completed in the following stages::

Installing more than 3,000 panels on the Nile River bed and driving piles to create a temporary dam to hold back the Nile River waters

The 12-meter-long barrier was completed after two years..

A mixture of washed sand and water was added to the quarry area 5000 meters away and then connected through pipes to support the steel against water pressure..

Sound and Light Shows at Philae Temple:

There are daily special shows in all languages ​​for the sound and light show at night, telling the legend of Isis and Osiris and the history of building the ancient temples on the island..

Philae Temple Address:

Philae Island, Aswan, Egypt

Philae Temple Opening and Visiting Hours:

Daily 7:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Philae Temple Entrance Ticket Prices:

Note: Facts and secrets of the history will be added soon…

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ancient egypt civilization
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About Author

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Tamer Ahmed
Eng. Tamer Ahmed | Researcher in Ancient Egypt History and Egyptology. Faculty of Science, Mansoura University, 2004 Tourism and E-marketing Expert I love Egypt and I strive to develop tourism. Booking Your Tours Online Whatsapp: +201112596434