Philae - Travel Video.

DVD. Global Treasures. 10 Minutes. Philae The Temple Of Philae lies on a small island on the river Nile, just a few kilometers away from the Egyptian city of Aswan. The construction of the Aswan Dam meant that the holy island of Philae was under threat from the waters of the Nile. However, due to a major international rescue operation, its temples and numerous buildings were relocated to the island of Gelkia. The great Isis Temple Of Philae is acknowledged as one of the most well preserved Egyptian holy places dating from Ptolemaic times and some of its foundations are believed to derive from far older religious buildings. Next to the smaller Hathor Temple, fourteen magnificent columns and capitals rise majestically into the sky. The `Nilometer' was reassembled on Gelkia. This device was the official measurement system for Egyptian taxes. Thus, the level of taxes was closely associated with the water level of the Nile. Egyptian life was dominated by the Nile and thus the foundation of the development of ancient Egyptian culture was due to its life-giving presence.