Page 113 - WDT Magazine Egypt

and pumped the water out. The temple was then dis-
mantled stone by stone and moved to Agilika. Each
stone was numbered and placed in its same position
in the new location – a task that took nine years to
complete. In 1980 the relocated temple complex that
occupies about a quarter of the island opened for
visitors.
Mohamed led the Pharaohs to the temple entrance
to give us an overview and explain why the temple
complex was so important to ancient Egyptians.
Construction began during the reign of King Ptolemy
II; the following six Ptolemaic Kings each contributed
to the main temple. The sets of huge columns in the
forecourt, Mohamed showed us, displayed subtle
differences in decoration that reflected the time each
King made his addition.
There were long periods of time when the temples
were neglected, and some destroyed. Many of the re-

The pharaohs board a Nubian boat
for a ride to the island temple com-
plex dedicated to Isis.

WINEDINEANDTRAVEL.COM 113