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The temple of Isis on Agilkia Island

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The temple of Isis on Philae was the last stronghold of the pagan faith in Egypt and was only closed in the 6th century AD. Today, thanks to its beautiful location, this former cult center is attracting crowds again. We will be able to visit it during our 10-day tour of Egypt or 8-days Egypt tour.

The most beautiful view of the temple of Isis is from a boat on the Nile. From the distance, you can see the buildings and pylons shimmering in the sun. The closer you get to the temple, the more detail you can see; fragments of high perimeter walls, colonnades and, plant capitals of the column from the hypostyle hall. Lush green palms and shrubs grow all around.

The Temple of Isis exists thanks to the hard work of specialists working on its transfer from Philae Island. The construction of the first Aswan dam meant that Philae Island was periodically flooded by the waters of the Nile. The construction of the High Dam of Aswan made it necessary to immediately move the temple to a higher place, which turned out to be the nearby island of Agilkia. Despite the new location, in the minds of scientists and tourists, the sanctuary of Isis still functions under the name of the temple of Philae.

The temple complex was expanded from the 8th century BC to the first centuries of the first millennium. The main cult site is the temple of Isis, the goddess of magic and related medicine.

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According to mythology, it was here that the goddess Isis found the heart of her brother and husband, Osiris, murdered by Set, the lord of war and chaos. Set dismembered Osiris's body and scattered it across the country. Isis found all parts of the body (except for the falus), tied it together with bandages and, organized a funeral. Captured by the determination of Isis, the gods resurrected Osiris, making him ruler of the underworld.

The entrance to the temple is preceded by a pylon and two colonnades that run from south to north. Each of the columns has a different plant capital. From the entrance you enter a spacious courtyard. It is surrounded by a colonnade from the east, and the Birth House from the west. Every year it was celebrated with the birth of the local divine triad. When you look towards the north end of the courtyard, you can see the facade of the Temple of Isis.

Through a small columned room, you enter the three-nave sanctuary where the statue of Isis once stood. The reliefs on the interior walls show the birth of the pharaoh Ptolemy VI Philometor (one of the builders of the complex), as well as scenes from the myth of the resurrection of Osiris.

We explore this architectural feat on our Egypt tours. Join us, book your luxury Egypt tour! 

Sites gallery
Gardens with the temple of Isis on Philae in the background
Inside the temple of Isis on Philae
Hyroglyphics inside the temple of Isis on Philae
Magnificent pillars in the temple of Isis in Egypt
Trajan's Kiosk seen from the Nile river
People touring the temple of Isis on Agilkia island
The temple of Isis on Philae seen from the Nile

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Tour Reviews

Tina Baker
Date: 2021-10-14
From: United States
Tour: AROUND EGYPT IN 14 DAYS TOUR
It was a wonderful trip. To just be immersed in the culture, everything was so rich to be a part of this. There are no words to describe this feeling. The smells, the people, the sites, the sounds, it was all very stimulating. This is something I'm gonna carry with me for the rest of my life. I don't think I can top this vacation ever. It's hard to pick my most favorite Egypt sites because Inside Egypt took our group to amazing places and gave us special access to them. I have to say that the Karnak temple was absolutely amazing and the Giza Pyramids too, all the areas that you can go to... You can't ever imagine the places that you see. What you see on television is very different from experiencing it. Egypt is absolutely safe. I have never once felt at all in danger. It's 100% safe. I have been to so many countries and this is one of the safest countries I've been to. The service was 5-star, absolutely excellent. Everything I needed, I got, and they were almost psychic, they were mind readers. I didn't even have to ask and they would bring it for me. You have to come to Egypt. It is absolutely amazing. If you want to have a life changing experience and come back as a changed person, this is the place to come to. It is spiritual, emotional, and physical. It is a very moving country. You really need to go.
Carole D.
Date: 2025-01-24
From: USA
Tour: January 2025 14 Days Egypt Tour
I did the 14 days Egypt tour. It was a dream come true. Inside Egypt was first class and professional starting with Thammie who answered all our questions. Our Egyptologist, Walid, was full of information. He is passionist about Egypt. I learned so much from him. Walid has made me want to come back for another visit. We also had a tour leader, Mostafa. Mostafa took care of the logistics of the tour and made sure the trip ran smoothly. He arranged lunches and dinners, tickets to all sites were there when we arrived, changes to itinerary, wake-up calls, etc. Walid and Mostafa were there all the time and worked well together. I celebrated my birthday on the first day of the Nile cruise. I was greeted at dinner with a cake and got to dance with the ships staff. My favorite memory is the private entrance to the Great Pyramid and Sphinx Area before working hours. The lecture from Dr. Zahi Hawass at the base of the Sphinx will not be forgotten. This was an amazing trip. I cannot say enough good things about Inside Egypt.
Bagya
Date: 2024-12-20
From: USA
Tour: 9-day custom tour, December 2024
I did a 9 day custom tour with Inside Egypt and it was a dream come true. Their customer service is out of this world.. from Thammie, who was patient with me and answered all me questions and alleviated all my fears, when booking, to Rim, who helped with any issues in Egypt...  to the awesome Logistics team ( Mustafa, Ahmed)  and the well knowledgeable Tour guides Amr Hassan and Ahmed Hussein.. all of them took very good care of all I needed..answered questions that I had on diff places...They took care of all my needs and all went smoothly.   I felt like royalty  :) Doing the solo trip allowed me to customize the trip and the team was able to adjust to any small adds that I needed etc. I would highly recommend them to anyone wanting to do a tour with them.. I only wish they had tours outside of Egypt as well. It was my birthday one of the days and they surprised me with flowers, cake and a collage picture frame ;) Thankyou Inside Egypt team so much for making my dream trip special :)
Martina Ananda Marker
Date: 2024-12-05
From: Germany, Bavaria the Alps
Tour: Haus Tatatonga (Viola)
Dear Rim & dear Tiffany! From November 16th to 29th 2024, I enjoyed your hospitality with Viola's group from Haus Tatatonga (CH). I felt safe, secure and well looked after throughout the whole trip. The choice of hotels was wonderful and the staff super friendly. However, I would like to give special praise to our highly valued tour guide Mostafa Mohamed from Inside Egypt, who made our trip an unforgettable experience. With his warmth and cordiality, he always made us feel welcome. His professionalism and high level of expertise were noticeable at every moment and he always kept a watchful eye on every member of the group, circumstances and surrounding. Thanks to his friendly and approachable manner, all doors were opened for us effortlessly - be it at impressive sights, when using various means of transport, in fascinating museums or even at security counters. Everywhere we went we were greeted with friendliness, which is undoubtedly due to his outstanding efforts. Perfect timing and flexibility often allowed us to avoid the large crowds of tourists. The restaurants were great! On excursions we were able to see the interior of various Nile cruise ships. I found "our ship" Le Fayan to be the absolute nicest, (some of them smelled funny as we walked through). ;) We found our perfectly German-speaking, highly competent guide Mohammed Fathy to be more than a great gift! Precise knowledge transfer with heart and mind! Dear Mohammed, you have opened my heart to Egypt! We are deeply grateful to Mostafa & Mohammed (who are a Dream Team!) for the unforgettable experiences, the warm encounters and the wonderful care we received. A big thank you also to Ahmed Darwish (just great!) and to our bus drivers. With dear greetings & kind regards, Ananda Marker
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