Aswan
Price $52
Min age 6
Rating 4.73 / 5 [69 ratings]
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Aswan, Upper Egypt, Egypt
For thousands of years this temple has attracted pilgrims from along the Nile and around the Mediterranean. Begun by the Ptolemies in the 4th century BC, dedicated to the goddess and her husband, Osiris, it became one of the country’s most sacred sites during Roman times.
The temple was relocated to a new island following the building of the Aswan Dam, but it remains one of the most beautiful Graeco-Roman temples in the world, with the most romantic setting of all.
Look out for crosses and an altar in the inner courts of the temple: after the cult of Isis was suppressed, the temple was converted into a Christian church.
There are regular tours here or catch a taxi to the boat landing of Shellal, just south of the old dam. Buy a ticket for the temple there, and take a boat across (you pay the boatman directly). If you are taking a taxi from Aswan, have them wait to take you back. The boat that takes you over to Philae island will also wait for you.
On the island, within the temple complex, there is a café overlooking the water serving drinks, snacks and some souvenirs.
If you have time, ask (and pay) your boatman to continue across the lake beyond the Philae Temple to see some Nubian villages and the massive wall of the High Dam before returning.
The temple is open all year round, seven days a week. The best time to go is in the morning or late afternoon to avoid the midday heat, although there is usually a cooler breeze on the lake.
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