The temple at Philae near Aswan, Egypt.

---

The temple at Philae near Aswan was nearly lost under water when the high Aswan dam was built in the 1960s. Fortunately the temple was rescued by a joint operation between the Egyptian government and UNESCO. In an engineering feat to rival the ancients the whole island was surrounded with a dam and the inside pumped dry. Then every stone block of the temple complex was labelled and removed later to be assembled, like a giant jigsaw puzzle, on the higher ground of Agilka island. The whole project took ten years and has saved one of Egypt's most beautiful temples from certain destruction. Aswan, Egypt.

---

Size: 5101px × 3552px
Location: The temple at Philae near Aswan, Egypt.
Photo credit: © Robert Burch / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No

Keywords: africa, aswan, east, egypt, egyptian, middle, north, philae, ptolemaic, ptolemy, temple