Temple of Isis, Agilkia Island, Egypt – 14th March 2010
Despite not being a religious person there is something comforting about the sanctuary afforded by places of worship. A quiet place, often in grand surroundings, where you can collect your thoughts. They have been protected and maintained through hundreds if not thousands of years, the thought of all that history that you add to with your visit requires that quiet contemplation.
You can if you wish research the reason for it’s being, often built or dedicated in honour of someone, real or mythical. Rather than learn the detail of the story, I’m always interested in when it was built. I find it endlessly fascinating to try and put into context the age of my surroundings with the tools that were available at the time. Then sit in wonder with no idea how it was possible.
It’s always a good perspective for what is possible now when you can look into the past and see what has been achieved. It should help to understand that most things aren’t actually impossible, we just haven’t worked out how to do it yet.
This 2000 year old temple wasn’t built on Agilkia Island though, it was built on adjacent Philae Island. It was moved in the 1970s due to the construction of the Aswan dam. Philae Island was being consumed by the rising river level which if nothing was done would result in the destruction of the Temple of Isis. So it was moved, stone by stone and rebuilt on the higher land of Agilkia Island.
Is it a 2000 year old temple or a 40 year old temple? Does it matter? It survives today to educate us about our past and allows space for contemplation about how you take an ancient temple down stone by stone and rebuild it elsewhere.
We add to our history every day and sometimes we change the past, for better or worse. If it maintains places of contemplation that are real and you can touch, then I’m all for it.