---
node: spot_aswan_philae
type: spot
slug: philae
destination: dest_aswan
title: "Philae Temple"
lead: "The temple of Isis at Philae was moved stone by stone to the island of Agilkia in the 1970s to save it from the rising Nile. It was the last working temple of the old Egyptian religion, closed by Justinian around 550 CE."
published: 2026-08-12
updated: 2026-08-12
image_file: spot_aswan_philae.jpg
image_source: "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Temple_of_Isis_in_Philae.jpg"
image_author: "M.ramadan2014"
image_license: "CC BY-SA 3.0"
---

## Overview

The Aswan dams left the original island submerged for most of the year, and a UNESCO campaign dismantled some 40,000 blocks and rebuilt them on higher ground, reshaping Agilkia to match the old contours. The Ptolemaic and Roman reliefs are unusually crisp, and Coptic crosses cut into them mark the conversion of the sanctuary into a church.

## Highlights

You reach it only by motorboat from Marina dock — agree the price and the waiting time before you board. Go at opening or for the evening sound-and-light show; midday is hot and the island has no shade. The kiosk of Trajan, the open pavilion at the water's edge, is the image the site is known by.