Philae Templeمعبد فيلة

Philae was the great cult centre of Isis, the beloved goddess of love, magic, and motherhood, whose worship spread across the ancient Mediterranean. Mostly built in the Ptolemaic and Roman periods, its graceful courts, colonnades, and pylons are covered in reliefs of the goddess and her divine family. Remarkably, Philae was one of the last places where the old Egyptian religion endured, with priests serving Isis here into the Christian era — making it a poignant final chapter in three thousand years of pharaonic faith.

When the Aswan dams raised the level of the Nile in the 20th century, Philae's original island was left flooded for much of the year, the temple standing half-submerged. In a great international effort led by UNESCO in the 1970s — a sister project to the famous rescue of Abu Simbel — the entire temple was carefully dismantled and reassembled on higher ground on the nearby island of Agilkia, landscaped to resemble the original. Thanks to this rescue, visitors can still enjoy Philae in its full glory today.

Philae lies just south of Aswan and can only be reached by a short motorboat ride, which adds to its magic as the temple appears across the water. It is a highlight of any trip to Aswan and a favourite stop on Nile cruises. Visit in the cooler morning or late afternoon, and consider returning after dark for the atmospheric sound-and-light show, when the temple is beautifully illuminated and its legends retold against the night sky.

• What it is: an island temple dedicated to the goddess Isis.
• Arabic name: معبد فيلة (Philae Temple).
• Where: on an island in the Nile near Aswan.
• Built: mainly in the Ptolemaic and Roman periods; one of Egypt's last active temples.
• The rescue: moved by UNESCO in the 1970s to Agilkia Island to escape the rising Nile.
• Getting there: by a short motorboat ride; lovely by day or at the evening show.

Sources include UNESCO and Egyptian heritage guides.