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Temple of Isis |
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A small Ptolemaic Temple of Isis can be found on the the east bank of
the Nile on the southern edge of Aswan town. Like Esna Temple it is
now beneath the modern ground level and has the appearance of being
built in a pit, towered over by local housing and restaurants. The
temple is currently being restored by a Swiss-Egyptian Mission after
being used as a storage magazine by the SCA for many years and is
fenced off by tall metal railings. |
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Built during the reigns of Ptolemy III and Ptolemy IV, the temple
is quite well-preserved with most of its four walls still standing and
supporting the granite slabs of the roof. The northern and eastern
walls are roughly built of sandstone blocks and were never fully
completed and the courtyard on the western side (facing the River
Nile) which must once have fronted the temple has now disappeared
below the houses. There are two entrances on this western side which
still have beautiful carvings on the door-jambs and lintels, one in
the centre of the wall and a smaller one to the south. On the outside
of the southern wall there are lion-headed water-spouts similar to
those seen in other Ptolemaic temples such as at Philae.
Inside the temple is dark and gloomy with little light. The rear wall
of the central hall still shows scenes of the king offering to the
local deities, Khnum, Satis and Anukis and to Isis, Horus and Osiris. |
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The precincts of the temple include brick remains of Roman and Islamic
dwellings at different levels, showing the site's constant re-use over
the centuries. The archaeological team restoring the temple have found
many Coptic graffiti at the site as well as a rare ancient
architectural sketch outlining plans for the extension of the temple.
The Temple of Isis is only one of several small temples in Aswan town,
including a Temple built by the Roman emperor Domitian, of which very
little now remains and another nearby temple said to be built by
Tuthmose during the New Kingdom. |
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| How to get there |
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The Temple of Isis is at the southern end of Aswan on Sharia Abtal el-Tahrir,
just around the corner from the Egyptair office and down the hill from
the Nubian Museum. It is not currently open to the public though it
may be possible to have a look around if anyone is there. |
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