¨It famed temples have been saved and reconstructed on the neighboring island of Agilkai which in turn has been named Philae and Known by early 18th and 19th c travelers as the Pearl of the East.
¨Philae has many names such as
1.The divine names such as "The Divine Tomb" and "The Divine Island"
2.Names for the strategic important such as "The Southern Fort" or "the front" (Ht-Khnt) that the Philae Island lies in the Egypt's southern frontiers.
3.In the Greco-Roman period, there are some names such as Pilak which meaning island of the time [of Ra]"creation and Phily or Philay which means lover or female friend.
4. In the Coptic period, an island called by "Pilakh" which means the corner or the end as the site of an island in the southern corner of Egypt.
5. In the Islamic period, an island known as Pilaq.
¨In the medieval times, the island of Philae became the focus of an Arabian myth which resulted in it becoming known to the inhabitants of the area as Qasr Anas El-Wugud.
It is popular story a certain Zahr Al-Ward (Rose Blossom), the beautiful daughter of a grand vizier, who fell in love with a young man called Anas El-Wugud.
¨The idea of building a large temple may have originated with Ptolemy 1st Soter, since its decoration, even to the interior of the temple, was completed before the end of the reign of Ptolemy 2nd Philadelphus , who started construction of the main temple of Isis
¨The temple was officially closed to heathen worship by Narsus in the reign of Justinian and was finally converted into church in 577 AD by Bishop Theodore.
¨The Philae Temples:
1.Nektanebo 1st’s shrine.
2.Temple of The Nubian Deity Arhesnofer (Iry-hms nfr)
3.Shrine of The Nubian Deity Mandolis
4.Temple of Imhotep
5.The Main Temple Of The Goddess Isis
6.Temple Of The Goddess Hathor
7.Trajan’s Kiosk
8.Hadrian’s Gateway
Nektanebo 1st’s Shrine:
It was designed with 14 columns and 2 sandstone obelisks on the river front.
These have double capitals:
-The lower parts are decorated with different floral forms.
-The upper parts bear heads of Hathor.
qThe screen walls between the columns, decorated by rows of uraeus serpents, show Nectanebos 1st making offerings to the deities
The Eastern Colonnade
- The colonnade to the east was left unfinished.
- Only six of 16 columns were completed.
- They are connected by three small shrines:
1.Temple of The Nubian Deity Arhesnofer (Iry-hms nfr)
2.Shrine of The Nubian Deity Mandolis
3.To Asklepius and Imhotep
The Western Colonnade
- The shafts of the 31 columns show the Roman emperor Tiberius making offerings to the Egyptian gods.
- The ceiling is decorated with stars and vultures.
-The representations are finely executed and relatively well preserved.
- The capitals of the columns are particularly noteworthy, since no two are alike and the floral motifs are exquisitely carved.
-Most of columns have reliefs showing Emperor Tiberius making offering to the gods.
Isis was member of a triad with Osiris as her husband and Horus their son.
In the temple of Philae, Isis was revered as a goddess on her own. Often identified with the sky goddess Nut, the Cow goddess Hathor and other female Busiris.
The goddess Isis, her name means “seat” or “throne” that she may have personified the royal throne of Osiris.
It was believed that her single tear, shed for Osiris, caused the annual flood, which brought life to the land.
In single tradition that emerged they were husband and wife; a wise and just ruler and his devoted consort.
The main temple of Isis, Its construction was started under Ptolemy 2nd Philadelphus and completed in all its essential details by Ptolemy 3rd Euergetes 1st
The huge entrance pylon, 18m in height and 45m in weight
Each of the two towers is decorated with reliefs of Neos Dionysus (Ptolemy 12th) in his role as a pharaoh of Egypt.
The Eastern Tower
- He wears the double crown of Upper and Lower Egypt, preparing to smite them in the presence of Isis and Nephthys, Horus and Hathor.
The Western Tower
- He clasps his enemies by the hair in one hand, while raising a club above their heads in the other
Two granite lions with damaged faces guard the entrance to the temple.
On the lintel of the gateway between the two towers of the pylon is a representation of Nectanebos 1st making offerings to Osiris, Isis, Khnum and Hathor
Behind of the pylon, the western tower, we will see the king in front of the god Osiris and the goddess Isis and other gods and then to the west, we will see two divine boats carry on the shoulders of priests.
The purpose of the birth house was to worship of the goddess Isis and her son the god Horus
The idea of the birth house returns to the divine birth of the queen Hatshepsut
*The birth house
The birth house constructed as to keep on the god Horus who should avenge from his enemies after the death of his father, so Kings liked this place as to get the legitimize, order and life. The birth house established as to sure the resurrection of the god Osiris and also to safe the renewable life on the other hand.
From the Ptolemaic period, they specialized the separated buildings beside the temples that were called Mammisi which divided from the Egyptian word M3-Ms.
The western tower of the entrance pylon gives access to the birth House or Mammisi.
Around 3 sides of the building runs a colonnade with floral capitals surmounted with sistrum capitals and Hathor heads.
The 3rd chamber (Sanctuary)
There is a scene on the lower reaches of the rear wall that to show the goddess Isis giving birth to her son Horus in the marshes of the Delta in the presence of Amun-Re and Thoth, the god of wisdom. Behind Amun-Re, there is the serpent goddess Wadjet of the Lower Egypt and Thoth, the god of the wisdom. Behind the god Thoth, there is the vulture goddess Nekhbet of Upper Egypt and the god Sheshat of the reason. On the Upper register, Horus, as the hawk, stands among the papyrus plants crowned with the Double crown.
The 2nd pylon, its width 32m and its height 12m and to be reached by a stairway that there are some scenes of Ptolemy 12th Neos Dionysus.
There is the natural granite has been smoothed to form a stela, with a six-line inscriptions and reliefs relating to a grant of land that made by dates back to the 24th year of Ptolemy 8th Euergetes 2nd and there is small scene that appears with his wife to make offerings to the goddess Isis and other number of gods.
The Hypostyle Hall
There is an almost illegible Greek inscription on the right-hand side of the doorway leading to antechambers That they celebrated to the turned event in 577 AD from the religious temple to the great Church.
It is separated from the court by screen walls between the first rows of columns, is adorned with colored relief from the lower to the upper reaches of the wall, across the ceiling, and from shaft to capital.
Representations of the ancient Egyptian key of life, the Ankh (which scholars agree was the origin of the Christian anasta cross) have been converted into crosses in several places.
Inside the sanctuary, we will find the alter which to have some inscription for King Ptolemy 3rd and his wife Berenice that to pray to the Goddess Isis.
The Osiris Chamber
Above the sanctuary are the Osiris chambers, which are approached from a stairway to the left of the temple. There are interesting reliefs relate to the death of Osiris and his rebirth.
The Outer Walls Of The Main Isis Temple
There are some scenes of making offerings and there are reliefs sure that Emperor Augustus who established and constructed the inner rooms of the main temple and Emperor Tiberius decorated these walls.
Hadrian’s Gateway contains the famous relief relating to the source of the Nile.
Temple Of The Goddess Hathor
It was constructed partly in the reign of Ptolemy 9th and rebuilt in the reign of Emperor Augustus.
The reliefs are more in the Hellenic than Egyptian tradition, with lively and charming representations of flute-players, the laughing dwarf-deity Bes (who plays a tambourine and a harp), and scenes of apes playing the lyre while priests carry an antelope and Bes dances.
The Trajan’s Kiosk (Pharaoh’s Bed)
It is an unroofed structure that seems to have been of Roman rather than Ptolemaic inscription. Entry is through 2 doorways to the east and west. The 14 columns are connected by screen walls enclosing a rectangular space. The structure was left unfinished.
The only completed reliefs show Trajan burning incense before Isis and Osiris.
The columns have floral capitals. These blocks were undoubtedly planned to be carved into sistrum capitals, but they were never completed.