Philae Temple UNESCO World Heritage Site. The main temple being dedicated to the Goddess Isis, built by Pharaoh Ptolemy Xl.
Philae, is an island in the Nile River and the previous site of an Ancient Egyptian temple complex in southern Egypt. The complex is now located on the nearby island of Agilika. The island temple construction at Philae was continued over a three-century period by the Greek Ptolemaic dynasty and the rulers of the Roman Principate. The principal deity of the temple complex was Isis, but other temples and shrines were dedicated to her son Horus and the goddess Hathor. In Ptolemaic times Hathor was associated with Isis, who was in turn associated with the Greek goddess Aphrodite. For centuries the temple complex was the holiest site for Isis worshippers. The temple was closed down officially in the 6th century by the Byzantine emperor, Justinian. It was the last pagan temple to exist in the Mediterranean world (although a Roman temple to Isis remained in England). Philae was a seat of the Christian religion as well as of the ancient Egyptian faith. Ruins of a Christian church were still discovered, and more than one adytum bore traces of having been made to serve at different eras the purposes of a chapel of Osiris and of Christ. The Philae temple was converted into a church dedicated to the Virgin Mary, until that was closed by Muslim invaders in the 7th century.
Size: 5200px × 3387px
Location: Philae Temple UNESCO World Heritage Site, Agilika, Egypt.
Photo credit: © Stuart972-Photography / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: egypt, pharaoh, philae, ptolemy, temple, tour, tourists
