Philae Island
On a small island, south of the city of Aswan, lies the beautiful temple complex of Philae. Philae, once a great religious center, was dedicated to the cult of Goddess Isis. Its sanctuaries belong mainly to Ptolemaic and Roman periods between the 4th century B.C. and 4th Century A.D.
The romantic and majestic aura surrounding the Philae Island has been luring pilgrims and tourist
Approaching the temple by motor boat
The Jetty in the far distance as you approach the temple complex
The entrance?and up you walk towards the Hall of Nectanebo
The Hall of Nectanebo, the oldest part of the Philae Temple Complex
The main temple dedicated to Goddess Isis, built by Pharaoh Ptolemy Xl
In the central court is the Mammisi (Birth house) dedicated to Horus, God of the sky, depicted as a falcon-headed man.
The Temple of Imhotep, Philae Island
Trajan?s Kiosk, built by Roman Emperor Trajan
Reliefs, Philae (Left); Devon playing hide and seek in the Philae temple complex..or is he ? (Right)
The outer temple court, Philae Temple Complex
The way to the inner sanctuary of Isis, Philae Temple Complex
The view outside from the sanctuary window, Philae Temple Complex
The Gate of Ptolemy, Philae Temple Complex
View of the Nile from the Philae Temple Complex
A lone sea-bird ..Philae Temple area
The temples at Philae were also rescued by a joint operation between the Egyptian government and UNESCO, as it was nearly submerged when the High Dam was built.
High Dam
The High Dam was completed in 1970, the construction work lasting 10 years. Lake Nasser was the huge reservoir created when it was built. The then Soviet Union offered funding and expertise on the dam building. The benefits of the dam have been enormous.
In the background is the monument built to acknowledge the assistance rendered by the Soviet Union
The view of the Nile on the other side of the dam.
Lake Nasser
Lake Nasser, named after late President Gamal Nasser, is the world?s largest artificial lake.
Lake Nasser displaced hundreds of Nubians and put ancient monuments at risk.
Lake Nasser view from Abu Simbel
Elephantine Island
No elephants here?called Elephantine Island because the rock formation here resembles a herd of elephants. Settlement here dates back to 3000 B.C. Elephantine Island, is also home to one of the ancient Nilometers
Elephantine Island, note the Coptic Church in the background
Nubian Museum – houses several sarcophagi, mummies and a collection of antiquities discovered at Aswan and Nubia. Highly impressive, but sadly no pictures were allowed.
Nubian Kids at the Nubian village, Aswan
At the Nubian Village, with a crocodile. Devon gingerly puts his hand in the crocodiles mouth.
Stuffed crocodiles at the Nubian Village. We were offered a dinner of grilled crocodiles for a few dollars.. we politely declined the offer ;).
Agha Khan Mausoleum in the background, Aswan. The Nubian people hold the Agha Khan and his wife in very high esteem. The village head-man even showed us a school built with aid from them.
Agha Khan Mausoleum, Aswan
Noble Tombs, Aswan
The Cataract Hotel, Aswan. The ‘Death on the Nile’ was filmed here.
Felucca on the Nile, Aswan
Sunset on the Nile, Aswan?the beauty of a sunset is always a splendor to behold. (had so many pictures of the sunset on the Nile was in a dilemma as to which to put up for our viewers pleasure)
A Nubian showing off his Sheesha?
Nubian fish sellers vending their wares, freshly caught fish.
Trees laden with oranges..waiting to be plucked
Alabaster
You cannot talk about Egypt without mentioning Alabaster, one of the pinnacles of Egyptian handicrafts. The making of Alabaster art has been handed down from generation to generation.
It is pure white or speckled with reddish brown and like all other types of gypsum, alabaster forms by the evaporation of bedded deposits that are precipitated mainly from evaporating seawater.
Alabaster Scarabs
Demonstrating how they create wonders from alabaster rocks
Hand painted art on Papyrus
Our son Devon has taken a keen interest in learning Hieroglyphics- his rough book is now splattered here and there with birds, snakes, waves, knives 😉
Laura, written in hieroglyphics(left); The day of judgement, and life after death, depicted in the painting (Right)
Author: Judith Serrao- UAE