After visiting Abu Simbel in the morning our tour group visited the Temple of Philae and the High Dam on the way back to Aswan.
Philae has been a major tourist attraction for thousands of years. Like Abu Simbel it was taken apart block by block and reassembled on higher ground for the building of the High Dam. Unlike Abu Simbel the ruins have always been known of and the early Christians, then the Muslims defaced the pagan carved reliefs and the original color has disappeared. With the others from our group we took a water taxi to Agilkia Island and wandered around the site. It was a nice temple and the location on the island was pretty.
Next we went to the High Dam. A controversial subject, the dam caused water to cover countless priceless ruins and local villages. But on the other hand allowed for more water and farmland for Egypt's quickly growing population and hydroelectric energy for the country. The dam has created the worlds largest artificial lake and although in person it is impressive, its history is what makes it so interesting. In 1956 after the USA, England and the World Bank withdrew the financial backing they had already offered for the project, King Nasser ordered the nationalization of the Suez Canal, creating the Suez Crisis in which France, the UK and Israel invaded the Canal Region. The United Nations then intervened and the Soviet Union funded the creation of the dam. It was finished in 1971.
The Temple of Philae for us was really nice but definately not the same amazing level we had seen earlier in the day at Abu Simbel. The High Dam was picturesque but its history and the ramifications of its being built are much more interesting than its actual appearance.
Steve
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