The original Philae island now lies beneath the waters of lake Nasser due to the building of the High Dam at Aswan but all of its monuments have been rebuilt on the neighbouring island of Biggeh. Philae is dedicated to the goddess Isis, wife of Osiris and mother of Horus.
Isis was the protector of women and children. The legend says that Isis was wife to Osiris whose brother Seth was jealous of Osiris's position on the throne of Egypt. Seth murders Osiris and cuts his body into pieces. Isis was distraught and with the help of her sister and Seth's wife Nephthys, they find all the parts of Osiris's body. Amun grants Isis one minute with Osiris and she conceives a child, who is Horus. Osiris becomes god of the underworld, protector of the deceased and Isis rears Horus who ascends to the throne of Egypt.
The monuments on the island are dominated by the great temple of Isis, which are concentrated in the west and the centre of the island.
Boats land at the ancient quay at the south western corner of the temple.
The first structure is the kiosk of Nectanebo I, which is a hall with screen walls linked by graceful columns. Only six of its original 14 Hathor pillars still remain. The screens are 6 feet high crowned with concave cornices and rows of uraeus serpents and carved with reliefs of Nectanebo.
From Nectanebo's kiosk there are 2 colonades one each to the east and the west of an outer courtyard that leads to the first temple pylon.
The western colonnade is about 100 yards long and contains 32 columns, each having different carvings on their capitals. The eastern colonnade is partly roofed and has 17 columns.
At the northern end of the colonnade is the temple of Imhotep and beyond this is the first great pylon of the temple of Isis, in front of which are two Roman styled lions carved out of pink granite.
The core of the Isis Temple was built by Ptolemy II but Coptic Christian crosses have been carved into the sandstone. Beyond the first Pylon is the forecourt of the Temple and on the rear walls are depictions of Ptolemy XII standing before Osiris
In the forecourt on the western side is the birth house, an essential feature of the Ptolemaic period, which is designed to celebrate the rites related to the Osirian tradition of the child Horus. After the murder of his father Osiris, Horus reached manhood and overthrew the enemies of his father. Horus as Pharaoh of Egypt became the ancestor of all future kings therefore each pharaoh was recognised as a descendant of Horus. In the sanctuary of the birth house Horus as the hawk is shown wearing the double crown of Egypt.
The northern wall of the forecourt is formed by the second great pylon. At the base of the eastern tower is a granite stele into which is carved an inscription in hieroglyphic, demotic, and Greek characters about grants of land made to the Temple by PtolemiesVI and VII
Inside, three small antechambers, flanked by dark rooms lead to the sanctuary. From here once every ten days, the statue of Isis would have been carried in her sacred barque over to the island of Bigeh to visit the tomb of her husband Osiris. All these rooms contain reliefs showing various gods making offerings. It is said that this temple of Isis was the last surviving settlement of the Ancient Egyptian religion before Christianity took over.
There are also other temples on this island. On the western side of the island is a ruined temple built by Claudius and dedicated to Harendotes and to the north is the temple of Augustus.
As we return to the quay, on the south side of the island we see Trajan's kiosk, a building that was once the formal entrance to the island.
