1. Port Overview

  1. Philae Island, Egypt

  3. Philae island is an island in the Nile River and the previous site of an Ancient Egyptian temple complex in southern Egypt. The Temple is part of the Karnak religious structure. In ancient Egyptian, Temple Karnak was the name given today for Philae.

    Philae Temple sits on an island in the artificial lake between the Old Dam and the new High Dam. This is another edifice rescued from the new water levels caused by the construction of the High Dam. Previously, before any dams were built, the temple stood on the sacred island of Philae, in the corner of a small bay on the East of the Nile. With the building of the Old Dam in 1898, the temple was submerged for most of the year, emerging only in August and September, when the gates of the dam were opened to allow the annual flood through. However, the building of the new dam meant that the temple would be under a constant depth of 4 metres of water, and the constant movement of the water would have eroded the foundations. The complex is now located on the nearby island of Agilika.

    Things to see and do

    * Temple of Philae
    * Nubian monuments
    * Trajan’s Kiosk
    * The High Dam at Aswan
    * Aswan

    Cruise Season – Oct - April
    Currency – Egyptian pound (LE) (EGP)
    Language – Arabic
    Population – 275,000 approx (Aswan)
    Electricity – 2 round pins European style
    Time – GMT plus two hours
    International Country Telephone Code – +20

    Port Location – The principal river port is located at on the Nile at Aswan. The Philae temple can be visited by boat from Aswan.

    Transport Links – An average of six return flights a day are maintained by Egyptair between Aswan and the Egyptian capital Cairo. One morning flight also exists between Luxor and Aswan, the lower frequency reflecting the cities' greater proximity and practical alternatives like train and taxi.

    Egypt's train service which runs along the nile extends down to Aswan and is a regular and a good travel alternative.

    If you are in Hurghada you can catch a bus from there down to Aswan. Hurghada-Aswan is around 300 kilometres but as Egyptian buses aren't always very reliable the trip could take anything from three hours to nine.