Position 89 - The Templed Island Of Philae, The “pearl Of Egypt,” Now Doomed To Destruction (view South)

Words add little if anything to the impression left by this lovely spot. Set like a peerless gem among the wild, desolate rocks of the cataract, still softened and enriched by the swaying palms, in which every Egyptian temple should be framed, this temple and its island have preserved and still awaken more of the romance of the Nile than any other spot in Egypt. And yet as we shall see it is condemned to certain destruction. We are facing exactly south, remember, and our position is at the southern, that is, the upper end of the cataract (Map 17).

Behind us are Assuan, Elephantine and the tombs of the frontier nobles; between them and us lies the whole cataract. A glance at the map will show you that Philae is one of the uppermost group of islands that form the cataract. The rocks which rise here on the right are part of the larger island of Bigeh, while the opposite shores are on the east side of the river, which curves sharply on our left around the island and appears behind it. That little square stone building on the right, is the house of the custodian of the island.

Just in the middle of our prospect you observe the pylons of the temple of Isis; they face the other way, that is, toward the south, and the rear of the temple is at this end (Plan 18). The first of the two pylons is the larger, and it forms, from our point of view, the background of the second pylon, which being of the same form and color as the first, does not stand out very clearly against it. But if you look carefully you will be able to distinguish it, especially if you begin with the right-hand tower, which covers a large portion of the right tower of the further, or first, pylon.

Before these pylons, as we stand, but, of course, in reality behind them, you will discern the two rectangular masses which, extending this way, contain the halls and chambers. The little building on the left of the temple is the lovely columned kiosk, which is so fondly remembered by all Nile travelers. We shall see more of it from our next point of view. On the left shore you notice a piece of squared masonry, which formed part of an ancient quay of the town, once occupying the island. All this work, and all these buildings are late, compared with most of the temples which we have already seen on our voyage up the river.

There must have been a shrine of Isis on this island long before the present temple was built, but it could not have been a notable building, for Herodotus, in his visit to Egypt in the middle of the 5th century B. C., did not see anything here which he considered worthy of note. At any rate, he is silent concerning the island, now so famous, and the earliest mention of the place in the Egyptian inscriptions is about the middle of the 4th century B. C., a hundred years after Herodotus's visit. No portion of the buildings at present preserved is older than 350 B. C., just before Egypt fell into the hands of Alexander the Great.

Look long and well at this island and its temple, for it conveys a more adequate impression of how an Egyptian temple actually appeared in the days of the Pharaohs than any surviving building on the Nile. But the shouting native in the boat below, vociferously offering his craft for our passage over to Bigeh, interrupts our reveries. Those high rocks on the extreme right offer a fine view of Philse, and taking this boat, after long haggling over the price, we shall presently stand there and overlook the island.

We shall then look across the island toward our left, or toward the northeast, as the lines marked 90 on Maps 17 and 18 show.