Restoration of Isis Temple in Aswan completed

CAIRO – 22 December 2020: The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities has completed the restoration and development work in the Isis Temple in Aswan, in preparation for its opening soon.

Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities Mostafa Waziri said that restoration work included restoring floors and columns, cleaning the walls from remains of birds and bats, and placing wire windows to prevent the entry of birds again.

That is in addition to restoring and cleaning the inscriptions at the entrance to the temple’s sanctum, and removing the soot on its ceiling.

The drawings and colors on the temple entrance and the side door were also cleaned, and the table of offerings in the Hypostyle Hall went through maintenance.

Head of the Egyptian Antiquities Sector at the Supreme Council of Antiquities Ayman Ashmawy indicated that site development works included making a path for the visit from entering the temple to its end, and developing and installing a modern lighting system that emphasizes the unique aesthetics of the temple without harming it in any way.

Director of Aswan and Nubia Antiquities Abdel Moneim Saed said that during the restoration work at the temple’s sanctum and the hypostyle hall, the Supreme Council of Antiquities found small pottery vessels inside a hole.

He added that excavations were carried out on the northwest side of the temple’s courtyard which resulted in the discovery of some red brick walls.

Isis temple was discovered in 1871 AD and is about 19 meters long.

King Ptolemy III built it to worship the goddess Isis and the triad of Aswan, however its construction was not completed.

It was built of sandstone and has two doors. The main door is crowned with an ornament topped by the winged sun disk. From this door we enter into a hall with three rooms, and in the eastern wall of the middle room temple’s sanctum some scenes of offerings are engraved.