Sight Seeing All Over Of Egypt
" Aswan "

While Aswan Was Always Of Strategic Importance To Egypt, The Town Only Became A City In The 1960s When Great Forces Of Workers Constructing The High Dam Were Housed There.
The High Dam Itself Is Over Two Miles Long And 360ft High And Affords Views Over Lake Nasser. The Lake Is, At Its Fullest, 310 Miles Long, 6 Miles Wide And On Average 600ft Deep. As Well As Being A Beautiful Resort, Aswan Has A Huge Array Of Temples, Monuments And Sights.

The Ptolemaic Temple Of Philae Was, Like Abu Simbel, Transported From Its Flooded Site To A New Position Above The Water And Completely Rebuilt Stone By Stone.

The Beautiful Kiosk Of Trajan Stands Close By On The Same Island. Kitchener Island And Its Botanical Gardens Are Reached By Felucca Before Continuing To Elephantine Island (Although Not Desembarking) Which Has An Ancient Nilometer Built Into Its Eastern Side And Numerous Rock Reliefs, Inscriptions And Traces Of Pharaonic Temples.
The Granite Mausoleum Of The Late Aga Khan Commands A Splendid View Of Aswan And The Nile Valley Beyond Which The Desert Stretches As Far As The Eye Can See. In The Ancient Granite Quarry Of The Pharaohs, An Unfinished Obelisk Lies Cracked And Damaged, But Clearly Demonstrates The Method Used To Cut These Vast Pieces Of Stone.

Philae:
South Of The City Of Aswan Lies The Beautiful Temple Complex Of Philae (Pronounced "Feel-I"). Its Main Temple Was Dedicated To The Goddess Isis And Its Construction Was Undertaken During The Third Century B.C. Philae Was The Last Bastion Of Ancient Egyptian Religion And Hieroglyphic Usage. It Is Also A Superb Example Of Threatened Cultural Heritage Being Saved In The Face Of Modern Civilization's March To Change The Environment.The Island Of Philae And Its Temples Came Under Threat At The Turn Of The Century When The British Erected The Aswan Dam At The First Cataract.

Philae Began To Spend Some Of Its Time Beneath The Backed-Up Flood Waters Of The Nile. The Dam Was Progressively Raised In The Following Decades, But The Final Nail In The Coffin For The Island Of Philae Came With The Construction Of The Aswan High Dam In The 1960s. The Temples Were Destined To Disappear Forever Beneath The River's Waters. Fortunately, Philae Was Saved From Drowning. In 1977 , A Coffer Dam Was Constructed Around The Temples And The Water Was Pumped Out. Then The Temples Were Carefully Dismantled With Every Block Assigned A Number And Its Position Noted. A Nearby Higher Island Called Agilkai Was Modified To Resemble Philae And The Temples Were Resembled. In 1980, Philae Was Once Again Opened To The Public.
Today, Philae Is One Of The Highlights Of Any Visit To Aswan. To Reach It, One Can Take An Organised Excursion Booked Through A Travel Agent Or Hotel. Alternatively, Take A Taxi To The Boat Landing At Shellal On The East Side Of The Old Aswan Dam. From There, A Short Boat Trip Can Be Arranged To The Island.