PHILAE

Philae: translation

Greek name for an island in the Nile south of Elephantine where a templeto Isis and associated buildings were constructed dating from the Late Period to the Roman Period. Temples were also erected to deities from Nubia, and the site became a place of pilgrimage for Nubians and Egyptians. The last known hieroglyphicinscription (394 AD) and the last demotic inscription (452 AD) are recorded here. Following the advent of Christianity in Egypt, the temples remained open to accommodate the worshippers from the empire of Meroe until the time of Justinian, who closed them. From 1972–1979, the buildings on the site were dismantled and reconstructed on a neighboring island to rescue them from Lake Nasser, the new lake formed by the construction of the Aswan High Dam.