The island of Philae (situated about four miles south of Elephantine) was the cult centre of Isis during the Ptolemaic Period. Although the island was only around 457 metres by 146 metres it was almost entirely covered with temples and monuments. The most impressive of the bunch was the temple complex dedicated to Isis herself.
The islands of Philae and Bigeh combined to form a temple complex in which the ritual focus was on the "Tomb of Osiris" on the island of Bigeh while Isis was worshipped on the larger island of Philae. Every tenth day Isis and her retinue of priests would travel to Bigeh to visit the tomb of Osiris. However, a number of Upper Egyptian or Nilotic deities and Nubian gods and goddesses were also represented.
In ancient times the temples and buildings of Philae were protected from the yearly flood waters of the inundation by sturdy granite foundations and high walls. Read more
The Valley of the Kings is one of the most memorable places we visited in Egypt. It is a secluded valley which houses the tombs of the pharaohs great and small. Sadly the location was not secret enough and before archaeologists could get in on the act most of the tombs had already been thoroughly ransacked by thieves. When you consider that the only tomb found completely intact was Tutankhamun’s and he reigned for a very short time and had one of the smallest of all the tombs we can only imagine what treasures and wonders may have been buried in some of the larger tombs.
