"Thank you for a fantastic holiday, the staff, diving school, guides helped make our trip really enjoyable and run smoothly. It was well organized and we can't wait to get back to Dahab and do some more diving!"
Ms. L. Smith (Diving in the Red Sea) |
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TEMPLE OF PHILAE (ASWAN), EGYPT
The Philae Temple dedicated to the Goddess Isis in Upper Egypt is situated in one of the most idyllic settings in Egypt although this is more from necessity than by natural design.
After the building of the first Aswan Dam, rising waters used to lap around the Temple, submerging it for half the year. During that time, tourists would still visit the Temple, catching sight of the shadows beneath the translucent water.
 Once work began on the new Aswan High Dam, it became apparent that the temple would be lost forever. UNESCO and the Egyptian authorities organised a huge operation to relocate the Temple to the nearby Aglika Island, which, similarly to Abu Simbel, was landscaped to match the original site. The new location is set amid volcanic outcrops, perched beautifully on the deep blue lake, however, it no longer faces Biga Island (sacred to Osiris), from where the Temples holiness derived.
Most people visit Philae on day tours from Aswan, either using taxis or minibuses.
The Cult of Isis
 Of all the cults of ancient Egypt, none endured longer or spread further than the worship of the goddess Isis. As the consort of Osiris, she civilised the world by instituting marriage and teaching women the domestic arts. As an enchantress, she collected the dismembered fragments of his body and briefly revived him to conceive a son, Horus, using her magic to help him defeat the evil Seth and restore the divine order. As pharaohs identified themselves with Horus, the living King, so Isis was their divine mother – a role which inevitably associated her with Hathor, the two goddesses being conflated in the Late Period. By this time Isis was the Great Mother of All Gods and Nature, Goddess of Ten Thousand Names, of women, purity and sexuality.
By a process of identification with other goddesses around the Mediterranean, Isis-worship eventually spread throughout the Roman Empire (moving as far as modern-day Hungary). The nurturing, forgiving, loving Isis was Christianity’s chief rival between the third and the fifth centuries. Many scholars believe that the cult of the Virgin Mary was Christianity’s attempt to wean converts away from Isis and early Coptic art identifies one with the other, Horus with Jesus, and the Christian cross with the pharaonic ankh.
Tours including the Temple of Philae
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Country |
Duration |
Price |
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| Egypt & Jordan Experience 2011 |
Egypt |
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From UK£1,710 |
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| Egyptian Family Adventure |
Egypt |
13 days |
From UK£810 |
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Cairo, Aswan (felucca or luxury cruise) Luxor, Red Sea (Hurghada). This family adventure gives you a taste of everything that Egypt has to offer. The Pyramids and Sphinx in Cairo and temples and tombs in Luxor provide the main sightseeing, and a short camel ride, overnight felucca trip on the Nile and some time by the Red Sea balance these out to make a fun and educational holiday for the whole family, staying in 4 & 5 star hotels. |
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| Nile Family Adventure |
Egypt |
9 or 10 days |
From UK£620 |
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Cairo, Aswan (felucca or luxury cruise) Luxor. This short family adventure fits into a half-term or longer holiday, and combines visits to the pyramids, sphinx and museums in Cairo, with a short camel trek, school visit and a felucca sailboat cruise. All in all, this is a great family introduction to Egypt with a balance of ancient sites and history, and more adventurous activities, staying in 4 & 5 star hotels.
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| Splendours of the Nile |
Egypt |
9 or 10 days |
From UK£730 |
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Cairo, Aswan (Nile cruise) Luxor. This classic tour gives you the chance to experience Cairo’s best and most important sites, including the Pyramids, Sphinx and the world famous Egyptian museum before transferring to Aswan for a luxury cruise down the Nile to Luxor. You visit all the major sites en-route, and the tour has optional visits to Abu Simbel, Alexandria and the fascinating Valley of the Whales.
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| Nile Explorer |
Egypt |
9 or 10 days |
From UK£365 |
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Cairo, Aswan (felucca or luxury cruise) Luxor. This classic tour travels through the Nile Valley visiting Egypt's ancient sites and monuments. From the Pyramids
and Sphinx in Cairo, to the Valley of the Kings and Karnak Temple in Luxor, we take in all the main sites, and include a peaceful felucca ride or Nile cruise down
the Nile stopping at riverside temples and villages. The tour can be completed in one week.
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| Grand Egyptian Adventure |
Egypt |
15 days |
From UK£460 |
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Cairo, Aswan (felucca or luxury cruise) Luxor, Dahab. One of our most popular itineraries, this tour starts with visits to the Pyramids & Sphinx in Cairo, with an optional City & Museum tour. From Aswan, we take a peaceful felucca sailboat or luxury Nile cruise along the Nile to Luxor, where we explore temples & tombs on both banks of the river. The tour ends with time for you to relax at the beaches and cafes at Dahab, to snorkel or scuba-dive among the coral reefs of the Red Sea, and if you wish, to climb Mt. Sinai.
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| Classic Nile Cruise |
Egypt |
7 nights |
From UK£680 |
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Nile Cruise; Luxor - Aswan - Luxor. This classic Nile Cruise tour spends a week travelling up and down the River Nile between Aswan and Luxor, visiting all the major sites en-route. These include the Temple of Karnak and the Valley of the Kings in Luxor, the temples of Edfu and Komombo, and the island temple of Philae in Aswan, with a local option to visit the temples to Ramses at Abu Simbel. This is a private tour with one of our own Egyptologists on a 5-star deluxe level cruise boat (not joining with one of the large boat groups for the tours).
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| Egypt & Jordan Experience |
Egypt & Jordan |
16 days |
From UK£1,480 |
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Cairo, Aswan (Nile Cruise) Luxor, Mt. Sinai, Jordan. This tour covers all the main sites in Egypt and Jordan. Following visits to the Pyramids, Sphinx and a city tour in Cairo, we enjoy a luxury cruise along the Nile from Aswan to Luxor. We then head via Cairo and the Red Sea to Jordan for a jeep safari & Bedouin meal in Wadi Rum. From here we travel up the scenic King's Highway stopping to explore Petra, Kerak and Madaba, before finishing in Amman with a day trip to the Dead Sea and the Roman ruins at Jerash. |
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| Egypt Experience |
Egypt |
14 days |
From UK£980 |
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Cairo, Aswan (Nile cruise) Luxor, Red Sea. This deluxe 5-star tour gives you a comprehensive introduction to the main highlights Egypt
has to offer while staying in some of Egypt's best hotels. We see the Pyramids, Sphinx and famous Egyptian Museum in Cairo,
enjoy a luxury Nile Cruise between Luxor and Aswan, and finish
the tour with time to relax and enjoy the Red Sea at a beach resort
in Hurghada. |
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| Grand Egypt & Jordan Adventure |
Egypt & Jordan |
16 days |
From UK£940 |
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Cairo, Aswan (felucca or luxury cruise) Luxor, Dahab, Jordan. Following a tour to the Pyramids & Sphinx in Cairo, this tour visits the main highlights of the Nile Valley between Aswan and Luxor, featuring a peaceful felucca or luxury cruise along the Nile. After a stop by the Red Sea, we enter Jordan to see the stunning desert scenery of Wadi Rum, explore the ancient city of Petra, swim in the Dead Sea, and visit several other sites including the Roman ruins at Jerash. The tour starts in Cairo and finishes in Amman |
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| Pharaohs and Deserts |
Egypt |
15 days |
From UK£630 |
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Cairo, Aswan (felucca or luxury cruise) Luxor, Fayoum, Western Deserts. This tour combines Egypt's main historical sites and a felucca or luxury cruise in the Nile Valley, with two separate desert safaris. Around Fayoum we visit the Wadi Rayan protected area with its spring oasis and desert lake, and the World Heritage Site of the Valley of the Whales. In the Western Deserts, we visit the Baharya & Farafra oases and enjoy an overnight jeep safari in the spectacular White Desert. |
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| Jewels of the Nile |
Egypt |
15 days |
From UK£1,850 |
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Why not combine your favourite sport with a family holiday to remember. Spend
7 days fishing on Lake Nasser for the magnificent Nile Perch then head down the
Nile on a luxury cruise boats, enjoying all the comforts of a 5-star floating
hotel. This way the whole family stays happy! |
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