Philae - Egypt

The original sacred island of Philae is now beneath Lake Nasser. Between 1972 and 1980 the temples on this island were dismantled and rebuilt on a higher nearby island, which has been renamed Philae. This temple complex was an important cult center in Greco-Roman times and a popular tourist spot for 18th and 19th century travelers. However, these visitors saw brightly painted capitals--before the temple complex was submerged in the waters of the Aswan Dam. The complex was dismantled and relocated to a nearby island in connection to the UNESCO project started because of the construction of the High Dam, after being partly flooded by the first Aswan Dam for half a century.