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The Cult Temple of Isis at Philae
| Location: | Agilka Island (New Philae), south of Aswan |
| Construction: | Graeco-Roman period |
| Dedication | |
| Main Temple: | Isis |
| Small Temples and Chapels: | Hathor, Horus the Avenger, Arensuphis, Mandulis, Imhotep |
The Temple of Isis at Philae could be visited quite easily before the construction of the first dam at Aswan. However, once the British dam had been completed, the island was all but submerged for half the year. This in itself was an immediate risk to the carvings and monuments on the island. However, the construction of the High Dam would have all but sealed the fate of the temple. It would have meant that the island would be almost completely submerged and the temple would have been destroyed by the strong currents caused by the dam.
However, the temple was saved by moving it stone by stone to a new home - Agilka Island. The island was literally reshaped in order to resemble the original Philae and to ensure that the individual parts of the complex could be placed into positions corresponding to their original ones.
Access to the island is by boat, and the landing stage is just below the Vestibule of Nectanebo I, a good place to start a tour of the complex. From the Vestibule, a large outer temple court leads to the first pylon. This court is lined on either side by colonnades. The eastern colonnade is unfinished as are many of the columns. The western colonnade follows the shoreline and is decorated with images of Tiberius making offerings to the gods as well as many depictions of Isis. The columns in this colonnade have complex capitals, no two of which are alike.
The first pylon is 18m high and 45m wide (60 feet by 147 feet) and was begun by Ptolemy II Philadelphus. On the eastern tower, Ptolemy XII (Neos Dionysos) is depicted in the traditional pose of Pharaoh smiting the enemies of Egypt whilst being watched by Hathor and Horus. The western tower shows a similar scene, this time with Osiris, Isis and Harsiesis (Horus). The reliefs on both pylon towers are badly damaged. Once through the gateway (built earlier by Nectanebo) the Birth House can be seen to the left within the Central Court of the Temple of Isis. The Birth House is surrounded by colonnades as at Edfu. Within the House in the innermost chamber are reliefs of Horus as a falcon, Horus being suckled by his mother Isis and Horus hidden in the marshes. To the west of the Birth House is a nilometre.
Beyond the Birth House, and at an angle to the first pylon, is the second pylon. This pylon is smaller and has depiction of Ptolemy XII offering incense and making sacrifice to the gods. The second pylon leads directly into the pronaos of the temple. The walls of this section are covered with reliefs of Ptolemies and Roman rulers performing the scared rituals of pharaoh. From the pronaos, three chambers in the naos lead to the sanctuary, which is filled with images of Isis, her husband Osiris and their child pharaoh/Horus.
To the west of the second pylon is Hadrian's Gateway and to the north of this lie the foundations of the Claudian Temple of Harendotes.
To the east of the second pylon is a small Temple of Hathor which was begun by Ptolemy VI Philometor. The colonnade around the temple was decorated during the reign of Augustus and has some interesting reliefs mainly concerning dancing, music and drinking. To the south of the Temple of Hathor is Trajan's Kiosk, consisting of 14 beautiful columns and two screen walls. The screens are covered with scenes of Trajan making offerings to Isis, Osiris and Horus.
At night there is a wonderful sound and light show.
Follow this link to view the Philae photo gallery
Follow this link to view a plan of the temple