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Philae temple

Philae temple Its reputation preceded the temple Aswan attractions

Its reputation preceded the temple: the Temple of Isis on Philae temple was considered of being the Pearl of the Nile. It is located around eight kilometers south of the city of Aswan in Upper Egypt on the island of Agilkia.

The original location of the temple, the island of Philae, could not be maintained because it was within the area of what is now Lake Nasser.

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The construction of the Nasser Dam endangered not only the archaeological sites there, but also the living space of around 150,000 people. The construction of the first dam around 1900 led already to an almost permanent flooding of the island of Philae.

The massively growing population made all season cultivation of agricultural land next the Nile necessary and also the annual flooding through the Nile should be contained. In the years 1960 to 1971, a new dam was therefore planned, which caused Lake Nasser to rise 60 meters more.

The 35 settlements in this area were relocated to Kom Ombo and Aswan. But it was also important to move the archaeological sites to other places. In 1964, the largest rescue operation in the history of archeology was launched by UNESCO.

Most of the monuments were documented, found their place in museums or – like the Philae Temple – were relocated. However, not everything could be saved: fortresses or rock temples and graves, but also mosques and localities sank in Lake Nasser.

Philae temple:

The island of Agilkia, on which the Philae Temple found its new place, is about 600 meters further north on higher ground. Since the nature of Philae Island was different from that of Agilkia Island, a topological adjustment became necessary.

The most important monuments, including the temple, were sawn into 37,363 parts weighing between 2 and 25 tons and rebuilt on Agilkia, but without the foundations of the temple.

Since the 26th Dynasty, Philae Island has been a place of worship for Isis, the goddess of birth, rebirth and magic. It was one of the most important pilgrimage sites in Egypt in the late period.

The main building of the temple complex was therefore directed to the goddess Isis and is located on the west bank of the island. Other small monuments are arranged around this temple.

These include the Trajan and Nektanebos I. kiosk, the small temple of Hathor, the temple of Harendotes, the Hadrian bastion, the temple of Imhotep, the kiosk of Pasmmetich II., the chapel of Mandulis and the temple of Arensnuphis-Dedun.

The main temple of Isis was built from Ptolemy II. onwards. Its construction took over seven centuries and served not only as a place of worship for the Ptolemies, but also for the Bedouins resident there.

Although the Roman emperor Theodosius later declared Christianity to be the state religion by edict, the Temple of Isis was firmly in the hands of its followers.

Emperor Justinian I. finally closed the temple by force and then converted it into a church. As a result, a Christian community settled here, which lasted until the 12th century; other churches followed.

Although questionable ethically and morally, the relocation of the archaeological sites had one advantage: it drew public interest to the area and thus significantly promoted the development of the region,

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Philae temple Its reputation preceded the temple Aswan attractions
Philae temple Its reputation preceded the temple Aswan attractions
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Temple of Kom Ombo

Temple of Kom Ombo is another historic sight in Upper Egypt

Temple of Kom Ombo is another historic sight in Upper Egypt. Located on the eastern bank of the Nile, the temple is around 3.5 kilometers southwest of the city of Kom Ombo.

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As a double temple, it represents a peculiarity, because in it – unlike in other holy places of ancient Egypt – two gods were being worshiped.

Sobek, the god of water and fertility with the crocodile head, was worshiped in the southeastern part of the temple, while in the northwestern part it was Haroeris, the god of light, sky and war. Because Haroeris appeared as a manifestation of Horus, his epithet is also “Horus the Great” or “Horus the Old”.

Because of its two deities, the temple was also called “House of the Crocodile” or “Falcon Castle”. The double temple of Kom Ombo was built between 305 and 31 BC during the Ptolemaic rule.

The parts of the temple that can still be visited, date from this period as well as partly from the Roman era. However, like the Colossi of Memnon near Luxor, the temple complex was badly affected by the weather and the annual flooding of the Nile.

Temple of Kom Ombo:

Jacques de Morgan first uncovered and restored the ruins in 1893. Previously, over half of the temple’s remains were covered with sand. It is believed that the building in its current form under Ptolemy VI. was built on top of the remains of other buildings.

Those buildings probably belonged to the 12th, 18th and 19th dynasties of the Middle and New Kingdom. The wall that encompasses the temple, 51 meters wide and 96 meters long, as well as the western pylon and the Mammisi, the birth hall, were destroyed by the flooding of the Nile.

The influence of the Roman Empire becomes clear from the wall paintings of the Emperor Domitian on the still existing, southeastern tower of the large pylon. As a result, he pays homage to the triad Sobek, Hathor and Chons. Behind the two entrances in the encompassing wall was a courtyard with sixteen columns, of which only the base is still preserved.

Yet, the formerly extensive decoration with reliefs and hieroglyphs can be recognized. The altar, the place of the holy barque in the middle of the courtyard, is still partially present.

On the side of the openings leading to the first pillared hall, cleaning ceremonies are depicted, the pillar shafts and reliefs of the hall show not only hieroglyphs but also scenes of the worship of gods by pharaohs, including Cleopatra.

The second pillared hall leads through the two entrances to the double sanctuary. Depictions of other pharaohs in the form of wall reliefs are shown there, too. Lastly, three antechambers follow the two sanctuaries of the gods Haroeris and Sobek.

Inside the temple, two corridors lead along the inside to the center of the temple. Behind the sanctuaries are seven rooms, from the middle of which a staircase leads up to the terrace.

Overall, the rich decorations of the double temple by Kom Ombo are striking; they are among the most important buildings of the Ptolemies and is a significant part of Egyptian history,

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Temple of Kom Ombo is another historic sight in Upper Egypt
Temple of Kom Ombo is another historic sight in Upper Egypt
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Dam Aswan

Dam Aswan Egypt practically ends here, Nubia begins.

Dam Aswan, Aswan is the southernmost city in Egypt and is therefore also often called “Gateway to Africa”. The city lies below the first cataract on the eastern bank of the Nile. Egypt practically ends here, Nubia begins.

Because of its dry climate, Aswan was already regarded as a health resort in the previous century. Sand baths against all types of joint diseases in particular were a popular form of therapy. However, aside from the classical sightseeing places there, one of the “landmarks” of the area is for sure the Aswan Dam.

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Because of the yearly occurring flooding it was almost impossible for farmers to manage the Nile efficiently, thus the construction of a dam would ensure regular harvesting in the future. The population wouldn’t have to face longer periods of drought or floods, while electricity would also be generated.

The old dam, which had been in operation since 1902 and was once considered the largest building in the world, turned out to be too small over the time. Here also the goal was to compensate for the low-water phases in such a way that irrigation of the canals and thus cultivation of the fields would be possible all year round. Agricultural engineer Adrian Daninos submitted to the Egyptian government the idea of a larger dam replacing also the previous one. After the downfall of King Faruq, Muhammad Nagib and Gamal Abdel Nasser liked the idea and decided to implement it. In their view, this was an important advantage: Egypt alone could control this dam.

Because the USA withdrew its originally promised aid in financing the dam due to political differences, the then Soviet Union stepped in. In addition to financing the project, Soviet engineers and construction equipment were sent to Egypt. With Arab Contractors, an Egyptian company was also involved in the construction. In 1960, the construction of the Aswan high dam started with a blasting. After the completion of the first construction phase four years later, Nile water was introduced into the reservoir for the first time. The dam was finally completed in 1970, and Anwar el-Sadat opened it in 1971. It took around six years to fill the reservoir.

Dam Aswan:

The dam consists of a ballast fill with a clay core and a concrete casing. The massive structure is more than 3.8 kilometers long, almost 1 kilometer wide and 111 meters high. At the time of installation, a built-in hydropower plant produced almost half of the electricity needs of Egyptian households; today it is still around 10%. 451 workers lost their lives in the 2.2 billion euro project.

However, the construction of the Nasser dam had consequences for the numerous monuments that were nearby. Even an entire town had to be replaced and its residents were relocated. The remains of a village can still be found on the bottom of Lake Nasser today. In view of the rising floods, dozens of threatened monuments had to be saved by UNESCO in a complex relocation processes. These included the famous Philae Temple and Abu Simbel. The Philae Island was flooded completely as a result of the dam construction,

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Dam Aswan Egypt practically ends here, Nubia begins.
Dam Aswan Egypt practically ends here, Nubia begins.
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Edfu Temple

Edfu Temple Located around 85 kilometers south of Luxor

Edfu Temple, Located around 85 kilometers south of Luxor, the Temple of Edfu is in the West of the city of Edfu in Upper Egypt. The temple there is one of the best preserved in Egypt.

It was dedicated to the “Horus of Edfu”, the local god Hor-Behdeti, and was built during the Ptolemaic rule in Egypt. The term “Behdeti” can be assigned to the description of the region as “southern Behdeti”. Hor-Behdeti was part of one of two triads of local faith, forming a triad with Hathor of Dendera and Ihi, while Isis, Harsomtus and Harsomuts-pa-chered formed the other. Horus also embodied other deities in Edfu. Edfu was the capital of the second gau in Upper Egypt, where according to the legend Horus won an important fight against Seth.

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In Ptolemaic times, the temple of Edfu was primarily a place of important festivals. In addition to the New Year, this included the wedding of Horus of Edfu with Hathor of Dendera. The celebration of the victory of Horus over Seth also took place here.

The temple was built in 237 BC and founded in the tenth year of Pharaoh Ptolemy III Euergetes I’s reign.  The further construction work on the temple by his successor Ptolemy IV. was interrupted by riots which broke out as a result of the reign of the opposed kings Harwennefer and Anchwennefer.

Ptolemy VI. continued the construction around 30 years later, but it was not until Ptolemy VII. that the temple of Edfu was finally completed. He ultimately consecrated the temple sanctuary in 142 BC.

Edfu Temple:

During the subsequent rulers, other structural changes were made to the temple, such as the moving forward of the portico or the construction of the courtyard with a pylon by the rulers Ptolemy IX. and X.

After 180 years of construction, 57 before Christ during the reign of Ptolemy XII. the work was eventually being ended. Finally the temple was 137 meters long and 79 meters wide.

A 36 meter high pylon is located at the entrance, which consists of two towers. The forecourt of the temple is framed by 32 columns, on three sides in the form of colonnades.

The fourth side of the courtyard is the entrance to the actual temple. The portico of the temple building has a width of 25 meters, is almost 14 meters long and has 18 columns.

A second portico is located behind it. The divine coronation of Ptolemy IV can be seen on its eastern wall. The second columned hall leads into the sanctuary to the “middle hall”, which represents the center of the temple.

Here is the so-called Sancta Sanctorum, which is considered to be the holy sacrament and is an independent building. The picture of the main god was kept here in a gray granite block, a so called naos.

The good condition of the Temple of Edfu can mainly be attributed to the fact that the temple was covered with sand for most of the time.

While Auguste Mariette uncovered the temple, numerous buildings had to be demolished, which were built on the edge of the sand that covered the temple,

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Edfu Temple Located around 85 kilometers south of Luxor
Edfu Temple Located around 85 kilometers south of Luxor

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Abu Simbel lies further south of Aswan

Abu Simbel Temple lies further south of Aswan Egypt

Abu Simbel lies further south of Aswan. The place became famous for the great rock temples of Pharaoh Ramses II and his royal wife Nefertari.

The name Abu Simbel comes from a Europeanization of the Arabic term Abu Sunbul, a derivative of the ancient place name Ipsambul.

The Swiss Jean Louis Burckhardt discovered the temples in 1813 during a research trip and learned about the existence of a temple from locals.

He first came across the Hathor temple of Nefertari and then found the temple of Ramses II, which was largely covered by sand.

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The interior of the temple was not yet accessible to him.

Today the rock temples are located on an island in Lake Nasser, which is connected to Abu Simbel by a dam. This transfer was necessary due to the construction of the artificial reservoir.

For the implementation of this project, blocks were sawn from the rock and taken around 65 meters higher. In order to ensure an almost true-to-original construction, the developers built a reinforced concrete dome structure at the higher location, which ensured that the monument would be seamlessly integrated into its new surroundings.

Masses of sand and stone cover the reinforced concrete dome  today, so that the temples appear as being in their original place. The Abu Simbel project cost $ 40 million and was realized with the help of other nations and UNESCO.

Abu Simbel temple:

Both the large temple in honour of Ramses II and the smaller Hathor temple, which is dedicated to the royal consort Nefertari, have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979.

The four giant Ramses statues impress with their sheer size. The idea that these monuments were actually created by humans thousands of years ago gives goosebumps.

The large temple measures approx. 38 meters wide, is 31 meters high and 56 meters long, while the smaller one is 28 meters wide, 12 meters high and 20 meters long – the dimensions are enormous, photos or filming do not really capture them properly.

The historical magic that surrounds Ramses II and his royal wife Nefertari becomes almost haptic at this point. Next to the legs of the huge monuments are smaller statues that represent the twelve children of the couple.

Six statues of Ramses and Nefertari rise on the facade of the smaller Hathor Temple of Nefertari.

The same heights of the two show how important his wife was for Ramses II. Both temples are beautifully equipped and richly decorated.

They mainly show the battle between Egyptians and Hittites. In various points of historical tradition, Ramses II is said to have concluded the first peace treaty in history.

A precise west-east orientation still ensures that the sun shines in the larger temple of Pharaoh on February 21 and October 21, illuminating a statue of Ramses and the gods – a truly magical experience,

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Abu Simbel Temple lies further south of Aswan Egypt
Abu Simbel Temple lies further south of Aswan Egypt

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Aswan is the southernmost city in Egypt and is therefore also called “Gateway to Africa”.

Aswan is the southernmost city in Egypt - Gateway to Africa

Aswan is the southernmost city in Egypt and is therefore also called “Gateway to Africa”.

The city lies below the first cataract on the eastern bank of the Nile. Egypt practically ends here, Nubia begins.

Because of its dry climate, Aswan has been already valued in the past as a health resort. Especially sand baths against all types of joint diseases were a popular form of therapy.

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Aswan was of great importance as a supplier of granite and rose granite, which was mined by workers at great expense in the nearby quarries and then shipped north over the Nile. In addition to statues, obelisks were pounded out of the rock and delivered in finished form. The famous unfinished obelisk is an unfinished rose granite obelisk.

Before its completion, it showed cracks in the rock and was therefore probably not completed. With its height of 41.75 meters on a square base of 4.2 meters and an approximate weight of 1168 tons, it would have been the largest obelisk in ancient Egypt.

Aswan:

The quarries of Aswan extended to the island of Philae and have been under the protection of UNESCO as a World Heritage Site since 1979.

The idea that these handcrafted achievements were performed with the most primitive means thousands of years ago gives the unfinished obelisk a great historical charisma.

A building that is almost as impressive as it is economically important is in the immediate vicinity: the Aswan Dam. The high dam, built in 1970, dams the Nile over a length of around 1.9 kilometers and thus forms the 5250-square-meter Lake Nasser. The huge lake was originally created to protect Egypt from major economic damage in case of droughts.

However, the construction of the Nasser dam had consequences for the numerous monuments that were nearby. Even an entire village had to be given up, its residents were relocated.

Temples:

The remains of this village can still be found on the bottom of Lake Nasser today. In view of the rising floods, dozens of threatened monuments had to be saved by UNESCO in complex implementation processes.

These included the famous Philae Temple and Abu Simbel. The Philae Temple is therefore no longer in its original location, but on the higher Agilkia Island and was rebuilt there. The main building is the temple of the goddess Isis, which is located on the west bank and is surrounded with several smaller buildings. The Philae Island was eventually flooded as a result of the dam construction.

The Aswan Botanical Garden is located on Lord Kitchener’s Island. The island impresses with its lush vegetation, which goes back to the former owner of the island, Horatio Herbert Kitchener.

He arranged the planting of various exotic trees and flowers, which formed the basis for today’s botanical garden.

As the southernmost point of Egypt, Aswan escapes the usual tourist flow and offers the historically interested visitor not only a glimpse into the Egypt of the pharaohs and kings, but also into the more recent past of the last century with its high dam and Lake Nasser and more

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Aswan is the southernmost city in Egypt - Gateway to Africa
Aswan is the southernmost city in Egypt – Gateway to Africa