Philae Temples Part IV: Temple of Isis Inner Chambers and Structures to the West

In the Temple of Isis earlier in the island of Philae, the second edifice, the door leading to the public and small, which is part of the Hall of Columns. Amelia Edwards said to him:
"This is a place where time seems to stand as still as in the immortal palace where everything went to sleep for a hundred years. Carvings and sculptures on the walls, paintings on the ceilings of complex colors and an incredibly fresh capital, and perfect, and these capitals The exquisite wonder and joy of traveling in Egypt, all of which examined the course - of the lotus flower in the bud and flower, papyrus and palm trees. the form of traditional skill, and then only in proportion to the height and width of the columns to give an atmosphere of great lightness of the structure of the whole. "
Court at one time was a series of columns on the east and west sides, but today only contains ten columns. The Court decided in recent times from the floor and behind the walls of four columns unite the screen, which left four columns of others helped to support the roof of the hall. On this site, and the inscriptions have been replaced by crosses in front of the altar of Coptic Christianity, which were erected in about 500 AD. In that time he had devoted many churches here, including this one to the Virgin Mary and one to St. Stephen, the first is a standard alternative Christian Isis, and the second very suitable for the replacement of Harendotes. In the side door which led into a room on the right is another pattern Archbishop Theodore, during the reign of Justinian 527-565 AD), claiming credit for this work "good". There is a pattern similar to the memory of flight 1841 archaeological sent by Pope Gregory XVI.
Three of what it was previously small rooms, surrounded by dark rooms, leading to the shrine, which is illuminated by two small windows. Which still contains the base of the statue and placed here by Ptolemy III and his wife, Bernice I for the image of Isis boat in the Bible. Mausoleums of granite (National Office) has been transferred to museums in Europe during the century, 19th. Since the shrine, the statue of Isis was carried in a procession from a temple in their boat to make the ceremony a short trip to the island Bigeh to visit the grave of her husband Osiris.
The vicinity of the tomb of Osiris cameras that have been reached by a short staircase on the west side of the structure, which leads to the surface. Osiris and rooms in the roof of the temple is the norm during the Greco-Roman, although they sink under the roof here in each of the four corners. Osiris and the room has a private entrance with scenes of lamenting the death of the gods Osiris, and interior room contains scenes to pull it on the holy God. To achieve this, after climbing the stairs, one descends to the first room where the god of the Nile offer libations of milk for the soul of Osiris Ba or sitting across from him in the form of a bird. In the second chamber is the falcon-headed mummy of Osiris. In the third room of the god Shu and the Emperor Antonius, who built the room, and stand in front of Osiris, and his two sisters Isis and Nephthys. Another room in the roof shows Isis and Nephthys on the naked body of Osiris, and lying in a coffin. Frog Heket head and hawk-headed Harsiesis he stood by the coffin beneath four canopic jars for the bowels of God. Other walls are the body of Osiris between plants marsh with the priest consecrated water was poured. Jackal-headed Anubis coffin of Osiris which Isis and Nephthys kneeling.
Once this was a wonderful scenes with bright colors, columns and capitals under the sun shine bright blue sky alive. As Robert Curzon memory ", and with the exception of the pyramids, nothing amazes me more than it was when on a moonlit night, and I first entered the court of the Temple of Philae.
On the exterior walls covered with inscriptions of the temple dates largely from the reign of Tiberius. On the western side of the temple itself is the other structures that should be considered part of the overall structure. Located to the west or in the second tower is a gateway and a hall built in the ruins of Emperor Hadrian. The lintel of the door is Adriano, before Osiris, Isis, and Harsiesis. Inside the ferry, Marcus Aurelius standing in front of Osiris, and less than this scene, and grapes, and flowers to Isis.
Lobby displays, set, submit incomplete crown of Lower Egypt, Isis, the crown of Upper Egypt to Horus. One wall is to reduce the Isis, Osiris takes looking in the rear of the Nile crocodile in highlighting the latest in the north wall of the shows Isis and Nephthys, and Horus, Amun and Hathor worship the falcon god stands on the river Bigeh island. This island has an eagle perched on it, and less of that cave is surrounded by a serpent figure Hapy, the god of the Nile, which is the source of the Nile
Moreover, in the far north-west of the corridor in front of the temple is one of the few remaining nilometers in ancient Egypt, which was used to measure the Nile flood in ancient times.
Temple of Isis, which was moved from the island of Philae of age as a result to build South High Dam in Aswan to its current location on the island of Agilkia, beautiful as it is, is discrimination. The last surviving outpost of the pagan religion of ancient Egypt. Some say that Christianity and pagan religion for some time, practiced here side by side until the pagan priesthood officially dissolved by Justinian in about 550 AD.