ASWAN – A FLOODED TEMPLE RESCUED FOR THE AGES

Aswan is located on the Nile River approximately 450 miles south of Cairo as the current flows.  It is Egypt’s southernmost city, surprising when you consider that another 180 miles or so of tarmac remain until the ferry border crossing into The Sudan.  Aswan is located along a particularly beautiful stretch of the Nile, with numerous attractive islands accented by the iconic Egyptian sailboat, the birdlike triangle-winged felucca.

Visitors primarily come to Aswan as a jumping off place for the Temples of Abu Simbel, a two and one-half hour bus trip south – rescued from the rising waters of Lake Nasser (now the world’s second largest artificial lake) in the sixties by one of the great engineering feats of the late 20^th century.  They also come to see another rescued treasure … that of the haunting Temple of Isis on Aglikia Island (also called the Temple of Philae).

Philae in Greek meant “the end” and marked the southern boundary of the Kingdom of Egypt.  Beyond Aswan and the island to the south lay the territory of Nubia, a rival people primarily African in ethnicity and culture that was frequently conquered by the Egyptians. The temple was begun by Ptolemy II in 237 BC and completed around 57 BC by Ptolemy XII – the father of Cleopatra.

The temple is dedicated to the Goddess Isis, wife of Osiris and mother of Horus. These three figures dominate ancient Egyptian culture.  Their story reads like a proper Greek tragedy.  Osiris is murdered and dismembered into 14 parts by his brother Seth.  Isis seeks out the parts (legend has it that the 14^th piece was discovered on Philae Island), reassembles them and with her magic powers brings her husband back to life.  Upon his restoration, they conceive the god Horus.

Osiris becomes the god of the underworld and judge of the newly deceased, who must answer to him for their actions while living.  Horus grows up to avenge his father by defeating his uncle Seth in combat.  Isis is recognized as the giver of life, a healer, a provisioner of beauty and magical love, and protector of kings.  She was known as “The Mother of God” and is usually represented visually as having a throne on her head.

The soil of Philae had been prepared carefully for its temple complex– leveled where it was uneven, and supported by masonry where it was crumbling or insecure. For example, the western wall of the Great Temple was supported by very strong foundations, built below subsequent flood levels of the river and resting on the granite bed of the Nile.

In 1902, the Aswan Low Dam was completed on the Nile by the British. This threatened numerous ancient landmarks in the rapids behind it with submersion, including the temple complex of Philae Island. The dam was heightened twice, from 1907–12 and from 1929–34, so the isle of Philae was nearly always flooded. The complex was not underwater historically only when the dam’s sluice gates were open from July to October.

The temples had been practically intact since the time of the Ptolemys.  With each inundation however, the situation worsened and in the sixties up to a third of the buildings were submerged all year round.

In 1960 UNESCO initiated an effort to save the temples on the island from the destructive effect of the ever flooding waters of the Nile.  It was necessary however, to await construction of the Aswan High Dam (a Russian and Egyptian co-venture) behind Philae Island in the seventies before water levels were stabilized enough to facilitate movement of the ancient buildings.  The project took 9 years to complete and was finalized in 1980.

The high dam itself is on almost everybody's tour list for the Aswan area, but a more boring visit and perfect waste of time is hardly imaginable.  Five minutes for a quick glance is all that is really required here.  All that needs to be understood about this place is that it created Lake Nasser, was controversial for flooding so many important archeological sites, and it provides nearly half of Egypt's electrical supply.

A large cofferdam was first built around Philae Island, constructed of two rows of steel plates anchored by metal pilings driven deep into the riverbed. A million cubic meters of sand was then poured between the plates. Water that managed to seep through was pumped away.

Next the monuments were cleaned and measured (using photogrammetry), a method that enables the exact reconstruction of the size and placement of the original building blocks.  Each building was carefully dismantled (about 57,000 blocks total), and then transported to the nearby Island of Aglikia -- situated on higher ground some 300 meters away.  About 5% of the original temple was lost in the carving and transition from one island to the other.

Aglikia was reshaped to match the elevations and contours of Philae as closely as possible – including the landscaping.  The moved blocks were then reconstructed exactly as placed on Philae.  A visitor approaches the island by water taxi, and first enters an outside courtyard intended as a gathering place for the Egyptian people.  Beyond that is a sequestered inner courtyard, where nobles gathered.  An inner Hippostolic Hall (recognized from its large interior, huge columns and supported solid roof) reserved for royalty is reached from this courtyard.

Within the Hippostolic Hall are side rooms dedicated to various Egyptian deities.  The focus room was a “Holy of Holies” that held a statue of the divine Isis.  This room was intended for purification ceremonies.  Only the King and High Priest were allowed entry here.  The interior is among the most compellingly beautiful in all of Egypt, with well preserved floor to ceiling carvings showing the Osiris story and Isis’ part in it (though the colors are not as vibrant as may be found in other temples elsewhere in Egypt).

My experience walking the island was one of wonderment and deep appreciation.  It was marred by only two small things: merchants veritably assaulting me to sell souvenirs and other unwanted detritus of the tourist trail prior to getting on the water taxi and then upon my return.  Then the temple guards.  They make small talk with you.  Insinuate you are friends.  Chat you up.  Tell you they have nine kids, and their wife just died.  Then ask you for a healthy "donation."  You have to expect this, in a heavily tip dependent society. 

The monuments on Philae moved to Aglikia continued to illustrate beyond any other monuments in the Nile valley, the survival of pure Egyptian art centuries after the last of the Pharaohs had passed. Many efforts have been taken since to deface the wall carvings/sculptures of this body of work. This effort is attributable to the zeal of the early Christians, and afterward, to the efforts of iconoclasts currying favor with the court at Constantinople by the destruction of both heathen and disapproved Christian images.

It is notable that images/icons of Horus are often less mutilated than the other carvings. In some wall scenes, every figure and hieroglyphic text except that of Horus have been meticulously scratched out by early Christians.  One theory holds this to be true because the early Christians had some degree of respect for the legend of Horus – possibly due to parallels between the stories of Jesus and Horus related to divine birth and resurrection.

On the water taxi return trip to the Philae boat dock there is an opportunity to circumnavigate Aglikia.  Along the way the now submerged cofferdam and outlines of Philae itself remain clearly visible just below the surface.  It is a little like looking at the submerged gun turrets of the USS Arizona in the shallow waters of Pearl Harbor – albeit with a happy ending.

Just less than a mile down the road from the Philae dock, and set in one of the Aswan granite quarries, is an extensive site full of large Henry Moore type sculptures overlooking the lake.  Locally it is called Symposium Museum (without reference to sculpture). This is a must see for any serious art aficionado. The diversity of the sculptures -- some dynamic, some humorous and some bizarre -- makes for an interesting visit.  Entrance is free.  In addition to the 100-150 sculptures present, the views also include the quarry itself, the Nile River, the old “low” Aswan Dam, and the Temple of Isis.

Another must-see attraction in Aswan (even if for a walk-by) is the largest known obelisk in the world.  This gigantic semi-finished needle, dating from the New Kingdom (1550 to 1292 BC), measures 43 meters in length and would have weighed a staggering 1,197 tons if finally lifted from its cradle.  The would-be monument was abandoned in its quarry because of an obvious flaw running sideways across its girth.  The ancient quarry of still birth provided stone for many temples and building projects dating back to the Old Kingdom (2686 to 2176 BC).

Elephantine Island (so named not because of elephants but a Greek reference to ivory, which was extensively traded here) is host to a number of visitor attractions in Aswan. A temple to the deity of Khnum, one of the first Egyptian gods and that thought to be responsible for the power of the Nile, lies mostly in ruins.  It was built by Queen Hatshepsut of the 18^th Dynasty, making it likely to have been constructed 1479 to 1458 BC.

The creative powers subscribed to Khnum suggest he could bring life to his surroundings.  Egyptian legend says he made children out of clay from a potter's wheel and then put them in their mothers' wombs.  Khnum was so powerful he was described as having molded other deities.  In Egyptian art, Khnum is usually depicted as having the head of a Ram and is shown sitting at his potter's wheel.

Column bases from a restoration attempted in the early 19^th Dynasty under Rameses II remain visible at the Khnum Temple. There is a gateway with carvings of Alexander IV of Macedon worshipping Khnum, and altars with Greek descriptions.  A number of Roman paving stones, pillars, obelisks and granite monuments may still be seen. One may also see a large granite monument begun by Nectanebo I, the first ruler of Egypt's 30th and last native Egyptian dynasty.

The Nubian Museum on Elephantine Island traces history from the earliest settlements of Nubia, the region between Aswan in Egypt and Khartoum in present day Sudan.  The size of the collection compared to its Cairo counterparts is small but the museum is well organized and colorfully presented. The museum itself provides a fuller understanding of ancient Egypt. It opens in the morning, closes for the afternoon then opens again around 5 pm. Therefore a visit in the latter part of the day when other attractions close down is sensible.