Michael A. Stecker
mastecker@gmail.com
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Southern Nile
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Egypt Photo Index
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Agilika Island is seen
from my cruise ship the Nile Emperor. This island in the middle of the
Nile River is located between Luxor to the north and Aswan to the south.
The Temple of Philae was dismantled and transferered to the island when
flooding occurred due to building of the Aswan High Dam. |
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Intricate engravings on the wall of the
Temple of Philae. Two large wall carvings of the goddess
Isis flank
the entrance while another can be seen on the pylon within. |
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The
Temple of Philae on
Agilika Island (about 500 meters from its original home on Philae island)
was dedicated to the goddess Isis. Its earliest structures were built
during the 30th Dynasty (4th century B.C.), while the remainder was built
later during the Ptolemaic (Greek) and Roman periods. Its various shrines
and sanctuaries include temples of Isis, Hathor, Harendotes and Augustus.
The architecture of the temple is unusual as it represents the fusion of
three great civilizations -- Egyptian, Greek and Roman. |
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At the temple of
Kom Ombo Pharoah offers gifts to
Sobek -- the crocodile god, while
Isis looks on.
Sobek (He who causes to be fertile)
was called the Lord of
Faiyum, and was considered the god who
controlled the waters. With the body of a man and head of a crocodile,
he was admired and feared for
his ferocity. At the command of Ra he performed tasks such as catching
with a net the four sons of Horus as they emerged from the waters in a
lotus bloom. Sometimes identified with
Seth when Seth
took the form of a crocodile. It is said that in the
Osiris legends,
Horus
takes the form of a crocodile in order to retrieve the parts of Osiris's body that
were cast into the Nile by Seth. |
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The Temple Edfu is
located 123 kms north of Aswan in southern
Egypt. It was built during the Ptolemic period and is devoted to
the hawk-like sun god Horus. |
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