Kiosk of Trajan, Philae



Roman Kiosk, Kalabsha



Birth house of Horus, Temple of Edfu

The Romans were in control of Egypt from the time of Julius Caesar until Muslim Arabs took over te country in 639 AD. While there, they followed the example of the Macedonian Ptolemies and built many Temples dedicated to Egyptian Gods to show the populace that they shared many important beliefs. Roman taxation of the province, which was the grain bowl of the Mediterranean world, was devastating, but otherwise the new citizens of the Roman Empire were aided by their skill in engineering for their the irrigation system. But after several cennturies of Roman rule the country was developed into a ferment of unrest due to economic and religious issues. Before that, however, many new temples were built at many of the main centers of worship, including Philae. These temples were all dedicated to the sacred trinity Osiris, Isis, and Horus, rather than Amun Ra and the local deities, however, and their cults became the focus of worship until Christianity became the main religion of the country in the second century AD.

This is one of my favorite pictures I took in Egypt because not only does it show the country beautifully, it also gives you views of modern, medieval, and ancient Egypt. These feluccas (triangle sailed ships) take tourists for a sail on the Nile, for an hour or two, or bigger ones for several days. I got to sail in one at Aswan, where Lake Nasser meets the Nile. The picture shows a felucca, then the green shoreline, and the ever present mountains of sand on either side of the river. This particular hillside is pocked with ancient tombs of the noblemen of the area, such as the men in charge of the quarries that supplied stone blocks for all the many temples built along the Nile. The domed building on top of the hill, and the ruins just behind the felucca are from the Fatimid Dynasty (969-1171 AD). These are watch towers, placed every few miles to allow the Caliph to keep his lands under control and safe from invaders. However, the Dynasty soon fell to the uncle of Salah el-Din, better known in the west as Saladin, and Egypt came under his rule in 1171.

This is the Temple of Philae, located on Lake Nasser at Aswan. The main temple was dedicated to the Goddess Isis, though there was a smaller temple dedicated to the Goddess Hathor (Egyptian Goddess of Love, associated with cows). The complex dates mostly to Ptolemaic times, with some Roman additions by Trajan, as well. It has the distinction of being the last pagan temple in the Mediterranean world to be closed for worship as the Christians became the dominant religion in the area. The complex spent much of the year below water when the English built the first dam at Aswan, and later when the Aswan High Dam was built it was immersed year round. In 1977 UNESCO began the three year project to move the temple from the island of Biga where it was located originally to its new home on the nearby island of Agilkai, where it rests today. It was once considered one of the wonders of the ancient world, and with its beautiful location on the island, it's still one of Egypt's premier sights today.