Temple of Philae 🛕 🛕 🛕 is one of the most exquisite sites you’ ll see in Egypt, and my personal favorite.
The Temple of Philae is located on an island in the Nile River, and the only way to visit
is to take a boat operated by a local. 🛥️ 🛥️ You can reach the boat dock with a taxi, it won’ t take you more than 20 minutes from Aswan and expect to pay from 80 to 150 egyptian pounds, 💵 💵 💵 according your bargaining skill.
Once arrived, you’ ll be welcomed by a few souvenirs shops 🤑 and the official Ticket Booth: as of today, the price of the ticket for an adult is 150 egp; 10 usd
After buying the ticket, you’ ll have to find a deal for a boat trip to the island and back.
Be sure to confirm the price of the trip with the operator before you get on the boat, as some travelers have been surprised by the amount they can be charged for a ride. Personally, I paid 100 egp for a round trip; if you' re in a group you can of course split the costs.
As you start sailing across the Nile, you’ ll start to feel a kind of magic raising in the air. Many travelers have felt this, among them Amelia Edwards, a British novelist visiting the area in 1874:
The BEST TEMPLE in EGYPT ( at least for me :) The Temple of Isis at Philae Island 🛕 Temple of Philae
There’ s something mystical here.
✍️ ✍️ ✍️ Amelia Edwards, a British novelist in 1873-1874.
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.
Part of the temple’s appeal is its serene location, particularly in a country where many sites-while strikingly beautiful-are hot and crowded with visitors. Philae is different. Located in the middle of the Nile and surrounded by rural countryside, the island is cooled by breezes and alive with the sound of singing birds. While there were other visitors there on the day I visited, it was still possible to wander among the ruins in solitude.
The Philae Temple is enchanting,
When something is enchanting, it's a pleasure to look at, almost as if it's put a spell on you. The Old French enchanter, "bewitch or cast a spell," is at the root of enchanting, from the Latin incantare, "cast a spell on."
The temple was in danger of being submerged forever with the construction of the new Aswan dam (1960-1970), which flooded the area. Fortunately, the Egyptian government and UNESCO worked together to pump the area dry and relocate the entire temple, stone by stone (50,000 stones!), to a nearby island called Agilka, where it stands today.
On your feet, look out for the extremely creative guards who will do all in their power to get in your photos, or to point out the hieroglyphs that you can quite clearly see yourself, all for some baksheesh (tip)!
A taxi (20 minute drive) or a horse-drawn carriage from Aswan to the boat dock for the Temple of Isis should usually cost around LE 80 to LE 150 per vehicle, I
I will also show you the ticket prices to the temple !
Whether you're travelling on an all-inclusive cruise and exploring the whole of Egypt, or taking a shorter trip down the Nile, most cruises make a stop in this area to visit the Philae Temple #philae #egypt #aswan #ancientegypt #documentary #nile #pharaoh
28 июл 2021
