| After the dam, we visited Philae Temple, the second largest temple to be relocated by the construction of the dam. Originally this temple had been situated on the sacred island of Philae before becoming submerged. It was moved to a nearby island, landscaped even to look like the original island. Before moving, this temple was dismantled into 9000 pieces, marked, and then reassembled at its new location. The entire project took 8 years to complete. As we approached the sacred island by boat, the profile of the temple with its majestic pylons was an impressive sight. Philae temple was Greco-Roman in architecture, took 120 years to build, and was dedicated to Isis, one of the important goddesses in Egyptian mythology as she was the goddess of magic and mother of Horus. During Roman times, a pavilion for Emperor Trajan was built at the water�s edge when he was suffering from rheumatism, and during the 7th and 8th centuries, Arab soldiers use to sharpen their swords on the temple walls, leaving marks behind. |
