Philae Island, Egypt
Philae is an island in the Nile River between the old Aswan Dam and the Aswan High Dam, in Aswān muḥāfaẓah, southern Egypt. Its ancient Egyptian name was P-aaleq; the Coptic-derived name Pilak probably refers to its marking the boundary with Nubia. The conventional name is Greek, but locally the site is known as Qaṣr Anas al-Wujūd, for a hero of The Thousand and One Nights.
Before its gradual submergence in the reservoir created by the old Aswan Dam after 1902, the alluvium-covered granite rock of Philae, 1,500 by 490 feet, had always been above the highest Nile floodings. Accordingly, it attracted many ancient temple and shrine builders. Philae, Abu Simbel, and other nearby ruins were collectively designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1979.
Epic Egypt Culture & Adventure Route © Monika Newbound
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