Aswan is a top destination featured in Egypt Travel Packages, offering visitors an immersion in the rich history of ancient Egyptian monuments.
The city of Aswan is characterized by many ancient monuments for which Egypt is famous, the most important of which is the Temple of Philae, which survived the fate of drowning in the waters of the Nile, in the 1960s. Aswan is located on the east bank of the Nile River, 899 kilometers south of the Egyptian capital, Cairo.
Egypt Shore Excursions often include visits to the Philae Temple and other iconic landmarks in Aswan.
The Philae temple dedicated to the Egyptian goddess Isis was reassembled in a scenic location to match the temple's original location on Philae Island. The ruins of Philae were moved to nearby Ajelika Island, 500 meters from the original Philae Island, during a UNESCO campaign in the 1960s to save sites that had been flooded by the Nile during the construction of the Aswan High Dam.
Travelers can explore Aswan's highlights on Egypt Day Tours, making it an ideal spot for both history and culture enthusiasts.
Philae Island was of great importance to the ancient Egyptians due to its privileged location, as it formed a natural geographical border with Aswan Island, and was known in Egyptian texts as the dividing line, according to the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities website. The name “Philae” goes back to the Greek word “Philae,” which means “beloved,” and was known in Arabic literature as “Anas al-Wujood,” in reference to the legend of Anas al-Wujood in the folklore stories “Thousand and One Nights.” The ancient Egyptian and Coptic name is “Belak,” which means “the limit or the end” because it was the last border of Egypt in the south.
The ruins of the Temple of Philae include many buildings dating back to the Ptolemaic era, 332-30 BC, most notably the temple started by Ptolemy II Philadelphus, 285-246 BC, which was dedicated to Isis, the mother of Horus, the goddess of royalty, and includes a scene in the birth chamber “Mamizi,” where the birth of Horus was celebrated, in which Isis is shown breastfeeding her son Horus in the woods. The Temple of Isis is one of the most enduring ancient Egyptian temples, as the temple continued to fulfill its role until the Byzantine King Justinian, 527-565 AD, who ordered the closure of all pagan temples, as a priest named Ismet-Akhom inscribed the last hieroglyphic text, dating back to the fourth century AD 394 AD, and the temple was converted into a church, and many of the temple's inscriptions were destroyed.
Adjacent to the Temple of Isis is a temple dedicated to Hathor, built by Ptolemy IV Philomator, 180-145 BC, and Augustus, the first Emperor of Rome, 30 BC-14 AD. Trajan's palace 98-117 AD in front of the Temple of Philae still stands, although its roof is no longer there, and the regular arrangement of its magnificent columns attracted the attention of travelers. Isis was the main goddess of the region, and the emperor is depicted making offerings to her, her husband Osiris, and their son Horus.