. . . . .Sometimes called "The Jewel of the
Nile" the Island of Philae is home to several monuments including the
temple of Hathor and the temple of Isis and Harpocrates (Horus the Child). Many of the monuments are from the
Greco-Roman Period. The last hieroglyphic inscription can be found on
this Island, it was made here in 394 A.D. The features that dominate
this view of the island are the 1st and 2nd Pylons of the Temple of
Isis and the top of the Kiosk of Trajan.
. . . . .Philae was a religious center from
the 25th Dynasty well into the Christian era. It is interesting to
note that Christianity and the Egyptian cults coexisted here until
the cults were suppressed under the Byzantine Emperor Justinian,
527-565 A.D. At this time a great injustice was inflicted upon Egypts
legacy. As was the case with many of the Egyptian monuments, the
images of gods and kings that were within reach, were systematically
defaced.
