Island of Isis: Philae, Temple of the Nile

When the second Aswan dam was opened in 1971, Philae--dating from Ptolemaic times and regarded as the most beautiful of Egyptian temples--was trapped beneath the waters.

UNESCO, aided by the Egyptian government, sponsored the rescue of the temples in an enterprise of imagination and skill on a grand scale. A coffer dam was constructed around the island, the water was pumped out, and the temple complex was dismantled and re-erected on the neighboring island of Agilkia, safe above the Nile waters.

In stunning photos and lucid text, William MacQuitty not only tells the fascinating story of the international operation to reconstruct Philae, but also describes its place in history, portrays its setting, the lives of the Ptolemies, and the priestly rites and deities of ancient Egypt--all of which come to life in the reliefs on the ceilings, columns, and walls of the temples.