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.

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The Temple of Kom Ombo was built by the Ptolemaic dynasty and it was dedicated to the crocodile headed god Sobek and the falcon headed god Horus. The Ptolemy’s came late in the history of ancient Egypt and ruled for almost three hundred years after the empire was conquered by Alexander the Great. Although they originally came from Macedonia they assumed the customs and many of the beliefs of the ancient Egyptians.

The temple is located at the town of Kom Ombo which is a few miles north of Aswan. It was built on a dune overlooking the Nile and while it was started by Ptolemy VI back in the second century B.C. it was later added to by Ptolemy XIII and the Roman Augustus. It was originally a huge structure and the two halves are identical in terms of layout with the southern half dedicated to Sobek and the northern to Horus.

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Abu Simbel is an incredible archaeological site which is not be missed. This popular attraction features two massive temples carved directly into the mountainside by the great Pharaoh Ramesses II in the 13th century B.C. one for himself and one for his favourite wife and queen, Nefertari.

The temples are huge structures and the larger of the two took twenty years to build and features four 20 foot high statues of Ramesses II with smaller statues of his mother, wife and children at his feet. There are rows of baboons flanking the entrance and a relief which features Ramesses paying tribute to the falcon headed god Re-Harakhte. In fact the temple is dedicated to the four universal gods Ptah, Re-Harakhte, Amun-Re and Ramesses himself. Inside the Great Hall is 57 feet high and 52 feet wide and there are stunning painted columns and hieroglyphs and a great carving commemorating his victory over the Hittites at the Battle of Kadesh. Ramesses is pictured firing arrows from his chariot and smiting his enemies.

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Cairo is the amazing capital city of Egypt with a gigantic population of up to 20 million in the metropolitan area. For anyone visiting the country it is an essential stop and there are loads of things to see and do. Located in the north of Egypt with the Nile dividing the city Cairo combines ancient history with modernity and it is a chaotically busy place.

No trip to Egypt would be completed without a visit to the Great Pyramids on the Giza plateau. Giza was once a separate town but as the urban sprawl spread it has been consumed and become a suburb of the city. The Great Pyramid is the only surviving example of one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and it is accompanied by several smaller pyramids, the Great Sphinx, the boat pits and the remains of the causeway and the mortuary and valley temples. We’ll explore the site in detail in a later article but if you are in Cairo make sure you visit.

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Egypt is a fantastic place to visit for a holiday and there are plenty of things to do and see. In fact there are several ancient sites which you simply cannot afford to miss especially if you are excited by tales of ancient Egypt, the pharaohs and their stunning monuments. The problem is Egypt is a big place and so if you want to see the best sites you will have to do a bit of travelling around once you are there.

We went a couple of years ago now and started in Cairo before taking a coach trip down to Luxor and boarding a cruise ship which sailed up the Nile to Aswan. From Aswan we took a flight so that we could see Abu Simbel. It was an incredible holiday full of ancient wonders and awesome spectacles and so in future articles I will highlight the places we enjoyed the most. In this article I’m going to provide some tips which will help you enjoy your visit more.

In terms of preparing to go you shouldn’t need any special shots unless you are visiting the specific region with a mosquito problem, which I believe is called Al-Fayyum. Always check with your doctor before you go.

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