Philae - Jewel of the Nile

The earliest traces of buildings are some blocks from the period of Taharqa, 690-664 B.C.If there were buildings of an official character before these building blocks, archaeology has sofar been unable to prove it so the field lies open to speculation.

It might be closer to hand that some temple or shrine structure was erected on the neighboring island of Bigeh, as this was a more dominating feature in the small archipelago, but even so Bigeh was overshadowed by the rather large island now called

In the fourth century B.C. a small temple was built on Philae to the goddess Isis by Napktnebef Kheperkare (Nectanebo I, 380-362 BC). That is the earliest traces of a building which have been found.

Most of the great temple to Isis was built between Ptolemy II Philadelphius (285-246 B.C.) and Diocletian (A.D. 284-305).

This became the center of the worship of Isis, a place where pilgrims traveled from all over the Mediterranean world, even from Nubia, and where the priesthood took care of the ceremonies and the rituals to the goddess.

Approaching from the South, there was first a gate dated to Nectanebo, then a Nilometer to the West, a temple to Arenanuphis, a great Western colonnade led up to the 18 m high First Pylons. Opposite this lay the Eastern colonnade, which was never finished, but which held smaller chapels to Imhotep and Mandulis.

The portal at the main entrance in the first pylons dates back to Nectanebo I and led into the inner courtyard. Outside are two granite lions and here stood once two granite obelisks bearing Cleopatra´s cartouche. In the Western pylon is an entrance into the birthouse, (mammissi) which was used after Hatshepsut by every pharaoh to ascertain by rituals their divine birthright and thereby their right to rule Egypt. Opposite this were quarters for priests and guards.

In the Eastern part of the second pylons there is a small chapel from the Roman days, now much ruined. The Hypostyle Hall which you enter into throught the second portal, is not very large but still the columns stand with their reliefs of fine workmanship more or less intact. In the ceiling are images of the barques of night and day and the vultures of Upper and Lower Egypt. The hall leads to three antechambers in the first of which is a stair case leading up to a chapel of Osiris. Behind these three rooms is the Sanctuary where a pedestal still can be seen, on which once the barque of Isis was resting. The purpose of the antechambers was for presenting offerings and for lower priests that the high priest, to attend ceremonies from.

The Hypostyle Hall.

The vivid colors which can be seen on the litography by David Roberts above, are however completely gone.

Outside of the Temple of Isis there is a small temple to Hathor to the East, and close by the Kiosk of Trajan which was never completed.

To the west of the temple complex there is the Hadrian´s gate and behind the complex are temples to Horus the Avenger and to Augustus. At the Northern end of the island is a gate and landing of Roman date.