The Temple of Philae: Egypt’s jewel saved from the flood
The Temple of Philae was submerged by 20th-century dams – then rescued in one of history's most ambitious relocation projects. Here's the full story.
Image: The Temple of Philae as seen from the River Nile | Stock.adobe.com
The female deity Isis held many roles in ancient Egyptian culture. She was the goddess of magic, healing and motherhood, with many mortal women paying tribute to her in hopes of enhancing their fertility. Where exactly would Egyptians make offerings to Isis? Often, at the Temple of Philae in the city of Aswan.
Though often referred to as the Temple of Philae, it is not strictly a single building but instead a complex of multiple religious structures. The oldest still standing, the Kiosk of Nectanebo, has been dated to the reign of Nectanebo I, around 379 to 360 BC. Others were erected during the Ptolemaic and Roman eras.
Perhaps the most extraordinary story about the Temple of Philae is what happened to it after 20th-century dam projects submerged it underwater. In the 1970s, the complex was uprooted from its original site and rebuilt on much higher land nearby. As Sky HISTORY’s Raiders of the Lost Pharaohs airs from 28 September, we see how this hub of worship was salvaged from a watery grave.
What is the Temple of Philae?
The Temple of Philae gets its name from Philae Island, where it was originally built near the First Cataract of the River Nile. Archaeological evidence suggests that the very first religious building here went up during Taharqa’s reign (690-664 BC). In any case, this building – if it did exist – isn’t intact today.
Most of the Temple of Philae’s surviving structures were conceived after Macedonian king Alexander the Great conquered Egypt. This led to the Ptolemaic era, which began when Ptolemy, one of Alexander’s generals, became pharaoh around 305 BC. This new foreign dynasty sought to ingratiate itself with the native Egyptians by respecting their established religious customs.
Many structures you can still see at the Temple of Philae were actually added during reigns of Ptolemaic pharaohs. The oldest parts of the site’s main building, the Temple of Isis, date from Nectanebo’s time. However, this Isis sanctuary was significantly expanded during the Ptolemaic era. Similarly, the pharaohs Ptolemy VI Philometor and Ptolemy VIII Euergetes II have been credited with developing the Temple of Hathor.
How Rome changed the Temple of Philae
Cleopatra VII Thea Philopator became pharaoh in 51 BC, but would be the Ptolemaic Kingdom’s last. After Cleopatra’s death (and her lover Mark Antony’s military defeat to Roman general Octavian) in 30 BC, Egypt became a Roman province. Still, even Roman emperors – notably Augustus, Hadrian and Trajan – would later add further structures and inscriptions to Philae.
Aswan sat on Ancient Egypt’s southern frontier. This fostered the Temple of Philae’s popularity with worshippers from both sides of the border. After the Roman conquest, pilgrims from Nubia – Egypt’s neighbour to the south – were largely responsible for keeping the Temple of Philae financially afloat. They continued to turn up regularly to participate in festivals and perform rituals.
Nonetheless, the site’s days as a hub of pagan worship were numbered. Over centuries of Roman rule, Egypt converted to Christianity, and the Temple of Philae was rejigged in line with the new faith. The changes included new Christian churches. A notable fact for fans of ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs: they are last known to have been inscribed at the Temple of Philae in 394 AD. The last known Demotic inscription, too, was created here in 452 AD.
The sodden Temple of Philae is lifted piece by piece
After the British took control of Egypt in the Victorian era, the Temple of Philae became a popular holiday hotspot among well-off Brits. It was all part of the ‘Egyptomania’ craze taking hold at the time, and those caught up in it included the novelist Amelia Edwards. The British built the Aswan Low Dam in 1902, while the Aswan High Dam followed in the 1960s, long after the British occupation of Egypt.
These two dams across the Nile left the Temple of Philae largely underwater. As silt accumulated on the structures, the decision was made to transfer them to an alternative site above water. This would be the Island of Agilkia, about 500 metres (1,600 feet) away from Philae Island.
This ambitious relocation project entailed taking apart 40,000 blocks, numbering them, and reassembling the Temple of Philae on Agilkia. This all happened at the behest of the Egyptian government and UNESCO in the 1970s. Today, the temple is a popular tourist destination and UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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