The Temple to Isis, Horus and Osiris on Philae Island on the River Nile in Egypt
Philae is an island in the Nile River and the site of an Ancient Egyptian temple complex in southern Egypt. The complex is now located on the nearby island of Agilika. Philae, being accounted one of the burying-places of Osiris, was held in high reverence by the Egyptians An obelisk which was brought into England by Mr. Bankes, and its hieroglyphics was compared with those of the Rosetta stone, threw great light upon the Egyptian phonetic alphabet. Philae is remarkable for the singular effects of light and shade resulting from its position near the Tropic of Cancer. As the sun approached its northern limit the shadows from the projecting cornices and mouldings of the temples sink lower and lower down the plain surfaces of the walls, until, the sun having reached its highest altitude, the vertical walls are overspread with dark shadows, forming a striking contrast with the fierce light which bathes all surrounding objects. The temple construction at Philae was continued over 300 years by the Greek Ptolemaic dynasty and Romans. The principal deity of the temple complex was Isis, but other temples and shrines were dedicated to her son Horus and the goddess Hathor. 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. By 1960, UNESCO had decided to move many of the endangered sites along to Nile to safer ground. Philae's temple complex was moved, piece by piece, to Agilkai, 550 meters away, where it was reassembled and remains today. That project lasted from 1977 to 1980.
Size: 5050px × 3381px
Location: Philae Temple on Agilika Island on the River Nile in Egypt
Photo credit: © Brenda Kean / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
Keywords: agilika, ancient, aswan, columns, cruise, dam, egypt, egyptian, gateway, hathor, hawk, high, horus, isis, island, nile, obelisk, osiris, philae, ptolemaic, pylon, reconstructed, river, temple, tourism, tourists, unesco
