Aswan: Temples of Philae (10/23/2023)

Monday, October 23, 2023 (continued)

Our included shore excursion continued to the Temples of Philae (begun in 280 BCE), which were moved from their original island to one that was not submerged by the building of the Old Aswan Dam.

An Egyptian Temsah MRAP/Mine Resistant
Attack Protected 4x4 armored vehicle at the Aswan Old Dam

We were dropped off at the "anchorage" to
embark on another motor launch to reach the island

Even the pier had vendors: alabaster wares?

Beaded caps

Our motor launch captain with
the outboard engine

First view of Agilkia Island, the current home
of the Temples of Philae

And here were more vendors, this one with
items (animal horns) we cannot take home!

Ruins of Temple of Arsnuphis, a Nubian god who
was often shown as a companion of Isis

Kiosk of Nectanebo I with Hathor-headed
columns on the left

West Colonnade of the Outer Temple Court;
in the foreground are the remains of the Nilometer,
which would have been steps down to the water level

The East Colonnade runs up to the First Pylon/
monumental gate of the Temple of Isis

First pylon relief of King Ptolemy XII
Neos Dionysos holding his enemies by the
hair to smite them with his mace/club

The Central Court colonnade with Hathor-
headed columns, behind which was the
mammisi/birth house, built to commemorate
the divine birth of, in this case, Ptolemy VI

A birth house relief of Isis suckling Horus; remember that
Horus was miraculously conceived by a mummified Osiris,
and Isis had to hide in the papyrus marshes of the Nile Delta
to birth their child unknown to his Uncle Set who had
killed and dismembered Osiris, a similar story
to baby Moses in the bulrushes (KSS)

Relief of Horus as a falcon (KSS)

The Second Pylon reliefs show King Ptolemy XIII
making offerings to Horus and Isis

Hypostyle Hall with floral capitals on the columns

A Coptic Cross carved into a column
when the hall was used as a Christian church

Another example of a Coptic Cross

A king offers a falafel sandwich to Horus

The sanctary of the Temple of Isis, above the heads of the crowd

The pedestal that held the sacred barque
of Isis remains, while the barque
and the gold statue of Isis are gone

A king makes an offering to Osiris and Isis in her
form with massive wings

Ptolemy II offers gifts to Isis suckling Horus,
while Anuket (goddess of the Nile) stands by

Now we had free time.

Tamiko in the Gateway of Hadrian
(c 177-180 CE) where the sacred barques
could be placed in the Nile River

A side gate of Ptolemy II

Temple of Hathor, in which were reliefs of animal musicians

Baboon playing a lute

The god Bes playing a harp?

Looking towards the East Bank of the Nile

The Kiosk of Trajan may have been built
during the the reign of Augustus (31 BCE-14 CE)

The Kiosk of Trajan

Back to the motor launches that jostled each other to get to
the landing, and we had to find the one who brought us!

This is the typical view Victorian artists painted
when moored in their boats below

Next: Papyrus Institute.