The site

Philae is an island temple complex in Egypt, raised by Egyptian builders and later graced by Kushite and Roman hands between 380 BCE and the sixth century CE. Once set near the roaring First Cataract of the Nile, it earned the nickname Pearl of the Nile. When the modern Aswan dams threatened to drown it entirely, a UNESCO campaign dismantled and relocated the sanctuary stone by stone.

Field notes

civilizations

EgyptianKushite (Meroitic)Roman

types

Temple · Sanctuary

built

380 BCE — 300 CE

occupied

380 BCE — 537 CE

country

Egypt

elevation

144 m above sea level