The first Aswan dam (1902) provided valuable irrigation during droughts but could not hold back the annual flood of the mighty Nile River. This is the so called Low Dam. In the 1950s, Egyptian leader Gamal Abdel Nasser envisioned building a new dam across the Nile, one large enough to end flooding and bring electric power to every corner of Egypt. The giant reservoir created by the dam–300 miles long and 10 miles wide–was named Lake Nasser in his honor. The formation of Lake Nasser required the resettlement of 90,000 Egyptian peasants and Sudanese Nubian nomads, as well as the costly relocation of the ancient Egyptian temple complex of Abu Simbel, built in the 13th century B.C. and the Philae Temple which was relocated on the Island of Agilkia. The Aswan High Dam brought the Nile’s devastating floods to an end, reclaimed more than 100,000 acres of desert land for agriculture, and made further crops possible on an additional 800,000 acres. At the dam site is a small pavilion with displays detailing the dimensions and the construction of the dam; on the western side is a monument honoring Soviet-Egyptian friendship and cooperation. Note that video cameras and zoom lenses are not allowed on site.

Built to honor the goddess Isis, this was the last temple built in the classical Egyptian style. Construction began around 690 BC, and it was one of the last outposts where the goddess was worshiped. The cult of Isis continued here until at least AD 550. The last construction dates from the 1960s. After the construction of the Aswan Low Dam in 1902, the whole temple was submerged after the flooding of Lake Nasser. A major multinational UNESCO team relocated the temple to its new location on Agilkia Island which was landscaped to resemble the original sacred isle of Isis. You can still see the submerged original island a short distance away, punctuated by the steel columns used in the moving process. The first structure that greets visitors is the iconic Trajan's Kiosk, built in the 2nd Century AD by the Roman Emperor Trajan. The main structure on the island is the Temple of Isis. The goddess Isis has different roles in different cultures. To some she is the sister-wife of the great god Osiris and mother of Horus, the falcon-headed deity. To most she is the goddess of health, marriage, motherhood, and wisdom. There are some interesting finds as well like an inscription referencing Napoleon Bonaparte whose French army had recently conquered Alexandria. This graffiti was inscribed in 1799 and many Egyptologists believe Philae was the last place in the country where the ancient religion was practiced.