Located close to the first cataract of the Nile, about 5 km south of Assuan, the name of Philae Island comes from the ancient Egyptian Pi-laq, from which the Greek Phìlai derive, as well as the Latin version Philae, the Coptic Pilakh and the Arab name Bilaq.

The etimology of he ancient temple, “Temple island (of Ra) ”, indicates that the place recreated the hill, emerging from primeval waters, which gave rise to the sun. Probably already during the Middle Kingdom Philae was the stronghold of a defensive system whose northernmost outpost was the island of Elephantina. Placed one before and the other after the first cataract, the fortifications of Philai and Elephantina constituted a blockage on the border with Nubia. When the Great Dam of Assuan was built, the waters of lake Nasser flooded the island, hence the need to break up the temples into numbered blocks and reconstruct them on the nearby island of Agilkia, already set up to house them. On the 11^th of March, 1986 the new temple location was inaugurated. The main deity in Philae was Isis, the other gods worshipped there were Osiris, Nephthys, Hathor as well as the cataract gods Khnum and Satet.

The most ancient monuments in Philae date to the kingdom of Nectanebo I (XXX dynasty), but some blocks discovered in the foundations date back the beginning of the island’s history to the age of the pharaoh from Nubia Taharqo (XXV dynasty). Later on, Psammetichus II (XXVI dynasty) built a small kiosk which was to be used as stopping point for priest processions to the tomb of the god Osiris on the nearby island of Biga, in whose direction the kiosk was built. The reference to the god Osiris leaves hardly any doubt about the presence of Isis on the island ever since that time. The island of Philae also included  the large temple of Isis, a mammisi, a temple of Hathor, the so-called “Traianus’ kiosk”, Hadrian’s gate, another gate dedicated to Diocletian and two Coptic churches. Philae is also the site where the most recent hieroglyphic inscription was found (394 A.D.).