Boat ride to Philae

Next we headed out to the Philae Temple, driving over the original “Old Dam” which was built in 1897. Philae Temple is one of the sites which had to be moved after construction of the High Dam, as it would have been completely submerged. It now sits on a island, protected from rising water by large stone walls. The result is a very natural looking island.

To get to the temple we had a short boat ride across the lake. As we walked to the boat we went past another market area. These boys tried to sell me one of their instruments, but I was concerned about getting them back home so did not buy one. They were good at playing them, one even started up with a rendition of "Happy Birthday". It was odd to hear a western tune played in the cording's of Egyptian music. So, the happy birthday song is universally known...at least to the extent that a young boy in a rather rural area of Egypt can play it for passing tourists.