Philae Island Aswan Egypt tours, prices, booking, reviews
Philae Island Aswan Egypt located southeast of Aswan, Egypt. In fact, it was formerly an island in the First Cataract of the Nile River. Philae Island Aswan also was The previous site of an Ancient temple complex in southern Egypt. The complex dismantled and relocated to nearby Agilkia Island. It was during a UNESCO project which started because Aswan High Dam construction. In fact, the site partly flooded by the earlier Aswan Low Dam for half a century. The island mentioned by many ancient writers like Strabo, Ptolemy and Seneca. It was, as the plural name indicates, the appellation of two small islands. They situated in latitude 24° north, just above the First Cataract near Aswan. The distance between these Islands and Aswan is about 61.5 miles (99 km).
Although it is the smaller island, Philae Island Aswan is the most interesting of the two. Before the inundation, it was not more than 1,250 feet (380 m) long and about 400 feet (120 m) broad. In fact, the island composed of Syenite stone. Its sides are steep and on their summits a lofty wall which built encompassing the island. The island accounted one of the burying places of Osiris. It held in high reverence both by the Egyptians to the north and the Nubian to the south. It deemed profane for any but priests to dwell there. The Island sequestered and denominated “the Unapproachable”. It also reported that neither birds flew over it nor fish approached its shores.
Further details about Philae Island Aswan Egypt:
William John brought the Philae obelisk on which this petition engraved to England. It was in the 19th century AC. In fact, its Egyptian hieroglyphs compared with those of the Rosetta stone. It gave great light upon the Egyptian consonant alphabet. Philae Island Aswan, however, sacerdotal abodes. It was the center of commerce also between Meroë and Memphis. The rapids of the cataracts were at most seasons impracticable. The commodities exchanged between Egypt and Nubia landed and re-embarked at Syene and Philae. The neighboring granite quarries also attracted a many population of miners and stonemasons.
For convenience of this traffic, a gallery or road formed in the rocks. It was along the east bank of the Nile, portions of which are still extant. Philae Island Aswan also was remarkable for the singular effects of light and shade. They resulted from its position near the Tropic of Cancer. In fact, the island flooded and became submerged. It was after the creation of the Aswan High Dam and Nasser’s Lake. The flooding prompted the UNESCO initiative to preserve the magnificent Temple of Philae. The temple dismantled and relocated to Agilkia Island, which renamed PhilaeIsland Aswan. Take a Felucca cruise. Sail to sail to the island and see the magnificent Ancient Egyptian ruins.
