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]] Philae (or '''Pilak''' or '''P'aaleq''' [ CONSTRUCTION Features HISTORY Pre-1800s The island temple at Philae was constructed over a three-century period, by the Greek Ptolemaic Dynasty and the Roman Pricipate . The principal deity of the temple complex was Isis , but other temples and shrines were dedicated to her son Horus and the goddess Hathor . In Ptolemaic times Hathor was associated with Isis, who was in turn associated with the Greek goddess Aphrodite . For centuries the temple complex was the holiest site for Isis worshippers. The temple was officially closed down in the 6th century A.D. by the Byzantine emperor Justinian . It was the last Pagan temple to exist in the Mediterranean world. Philae temple was converted into a church dedicated to the Virgin Mary , until that was closed by Muslim invaders in the 7th century. 1800s The island of Philae attracted much attention in the 19th Century . In the 1820s , Joseph Bonomi The Younger , a British Egyptologist and Museum Curator visited the island. So did Amelia Edwards , a British Novelist in 1873 – 4 . The approach by water is quite the most beautiful. Seen from the level of a small boat, the island, with its palms, its colonnades, its pylons, seems to rise out of the river like a mirage. Piled rocks frame it on either side, and the purple mountains close up the distance. As the boat glides nearer between glistening boulders, those sculptured towers rise higher and even higher against the sky. They show no sign of ruin or age. All looks solid, stately, perfect. One forgets for the moment that anything is changed. If a sound of antique chanting were to be borne along the quiet air – if a procession of white-robed priests bearing aloft the veiled ark of the God, were to come sweeping round between the palms and pylons – we should not think it strange. These visits were only a sampling of the great interest that Victorian-era Britain had for Egypt. Soon, Tourism to places such as Philae were common. 1900s Aswan Low Dam In 1902 , the Aswan Low Dam was completed on the Nile River by the British . This threatened many ancient landmarks, including the temple complex of Philae, with being submerged. The dam was heightened twice, from 1907 – 12 and from 1929 – 34 , and the island of Philae was nearly always flooded. In fact, the complex was not underwater only when the Dam 's Sluice s were open, from July to October. It was postulated that the temples be relocated, piece by piece, to nearby islands, such as Bigeh or Elephantine . However, the temples' Foundation s and other Architectural supporting structures were strengthened instead. Although the buildings were physically secure, the island's attractive Vegetation and the colors of the temples' Relief s were washed away. Also, the bricks of the Philae temples soon became encrusted with Silt and other debris carried by the Nile. Rescue project By 1960 , UNESCO had decided to move many of the endangered sites along to Nile to safer ground. Philae's temple complex was moved, piece by piece, to Agilkai, 550 meters away, where it was reassembled and remains today. That project lasted from 1977 to 1980 . SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS
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