We took a boat ride to see the Philae Temple now located on the island of Agilkia in the reservoir of the Aswan Low Dam. It is below the Aswan Dam and Lake Nasser, in Egypt.

As we approached the Island we could see the Philae Temple.

We landed and began our walk towards the Temple. The closer we got to the Temple the more impressive it became.

The Temple of Philae was originally located near the First Cataract of the Nile in Upper Egypt. The y were being  flooded as a result of the initial construction of the Aswan Low Dam in 1902.  The UNESCO Nubia campaign dismantled the Philae Temple site and moved them stone by stone to the nearby Agilkia Island, before the 1970 completion of the Aswan High Dam. The Philae Temple has been relocated exactly as the original location.

We walked through the entrance which was spectacular and massive in size. Through the entrance we walked into a large courtyard with columns running the full length of the courtyard.

The columns in the courtyard were finished with a flower style leaf at the top.

We walked throughout the courtyard admiring the smaller temple buildings. It was truly an emotional experience being able to walk in the Temple and touch the walls of such historic buildings.

 

We went inside the Temple of Philae and saw stone carvings and hieroglyphs on the walls.

Christianity seems to have been present at the Temple of Philae by the fourth century. Apparently at which point it coexisted with traditional Egyptian religion. We came across an Christian alter which was fashioned in the Temple.

Below are some of the spectacular Temple ruins or structures in the Philae Temple.

It was a spectacular sight to see the Temple and walk through the ruins.It so rewarding to know that these historic Temples were not lost as a result of the Aswan Dam. UNESCO saved this history from being lost forever and we were fortunate enough to actually visit them.

“احرص وتذكر أن تعيش كل يوم على أكمل وجه ،”