Elephantine is an island in the centre of the Nile at Aswan. This was
the original ‘border town’ between Egypt and the Nubian lands to the
south and in ancient times was an important strategic position both for
the defence of the border and as a trading route. The island has been
inhabited from the Early Dynastic Period through Roman times until the
present day. Its ancient name was ‘abu’ or ‘yebu’, which means elephant
and was probably derived from the shape of the smooth grey boulders
which surround the island, looking like elephants in the water.
Over the centuries there has been a great deal of building activity on Elephantine, though most of the ancient structures have now vanished. Excavations and reconstructions have been carried out over the past 100 years by teams of German archaeologists and the largest surviving structure today is the Temple of the ram-headed creator-god Khnum, at the southern end of the island, dating from New Kingdom to Roman times. A granite gateway built by Alexander is the only large structure of the temple which remains intact and the ruins behind it are difficult to identify due to ongoing excavation. At the front of the temple, which is oriented east to west, a restored pavement surrounds fragmentary remains of columns built by Rameses II. This leads down to a Roman quay.
Further north, behind the museum building there is the site of a small restored Temple of Satis, the consort of Khnum, built in the time of Hatshepsut and Tuthmose III. The reconstruction by the German Archaeological Institute has been sensitively done, with the few reliefs supplemented by drawn elements. The temple was built over Middle Kingdom remains beneath different floor levels and also a Dynasty VI temple. The latest structure to emerge from the excavations at the Satis Temple is an Early Dynastic shrine which can be seen in a crypt-like area below the reconstructed temple, and this must be one of the earliest remaining temples in Egypt.
Probably one of the most interesting structures on the island, just
in front of the museum, is the Nilometer. This was one of the earliest
known nilometers and was used by the ancient Egyptians to measure the
height of the Nile floods in order to forecast the level of inundation
and so gauge taxes for the coming harvest. 90 steps lead steeply down to
the river from the entrance. Along the banks of Elephantine there are
many boulder inscriptions naming the kings and governors who have been
associated with the island.
Elephantine Island can be reached by felucca from anywhere along the Corniche, or a motor boat from a landing near the telephone office. There is a private ferry which goes to the Oberoi Hotel but this lands inside the hotel enclosure.
Over the centuries there has been a great deal of building activity on Elephantine, though most of the ancient structures have now vanished. Excavations and reconstructions have been carried out over the past 100 years by teams of German archaeologists and the largest surviving structure today is the Temple of the ram-headed creator-god Khnum, at the southern end of the island, dating from New Kingdom to Roman times. A granite gateway built by Alexander is the only large structure of the temple which remains intact and the ruins behind it are difficult to identify due to ongoing excavation. At the front of the temple, which is oriented east to west, a restored pavement surrounds fragmentary remains of columns built by Rameses II. This leads down to a Roman quay.
There is little to be seen of the interior
of the Temple of Khnum, but a large square granite gateway is one of the
few surviving structures. During the past few excavation seasons the
German-Swiss Mission to Elephantine, directed by C von Pilgrim, has been
investigating the area around the New Kingdom remains of the Temple of
Khnum. They have recently uncovered more of the plan of the temple –
yielding details of the location of pylons, columned court and forecourt
as well as a possible festival hall of Amenhotep II.
Further north, behind the museum building there is the site of a small restored Temple of Satis, the consort of Khnum, built in the time of Hatshepsut and Tuthmose III. The reconstruction by the German Archaeological Institute has been sensitively done, with the few reliefs supplemented by drawn elements. The temple was built over Middle Kingdom remains beneath different floor levels and also a Dynasty VI temple. The latest structure to emerge from the excavations at the Satis Temple is an Early Dynastic shrine which can be seen in a crypt-like area below the reconstructed temple, and this must be one of the earliest remaining temples in Egypt.
Other ancient sites on Elephantine
A First Intermediate Period palace area has been uncovered on
Elephantine, which includes a large bakery, situated near the
south-western harbour gate. This was constructed using high octagonal
wooden columns, eight of these have been preserved and are among the
earliest examples of such columns. The bakery, which was occupied over
several phases, probably between Dynasties IV to XI, has been found to
contain ovens and thousands of bread moulds. Ostraca containing
distribution lists and mentioning the cult of Heqa-ib have also been
found.
On the northern edge of the monumental area,
behind the modern Nubian village, can be seen the remains of a small
granite step pyramid, dated to Dynasty III, but its precise purpose is
unknown. This is one of seven small mudbrick Old Kingdom pyramids which
are spread throughout the Nile Valley from Aswan to Abu Rawash.
To the north of the Satis Temple there are
mudbrick tombs of the sacred rams from the Late Period (the famous ram’s
sarcophagus can now be seen in the Nubian Museum).
A cult shrine of Heqa-ib who was a deified
governor of Elephantine in the Middle Kingdom can be seen to the west of
the Satis Temple. His tomb can be seen among the nobles tombs on the
West Bank of Aswan.
A chapel built by the Ptolemies, decorated
for the Nubian King Arkemani and completed in later Roman times at
Kalabsha Temple has been reconstructed on the southern end of the
island.
The Aswan Museum, in an old resthouse at the
entrance to the island is still open and has recently been extended and
refurbished. The displays include mummies, weapons, pottery, utensils,
and statues. Outside, a garden leads into the ruins of Abu, the
pharaonic settlement on the island. Labels are in Arabic and
English. The exhibits include some very interesting items from
Elephantine which date right back to Predynastic times.
The northern end of the island is dominated by the Oberoi Hotel inside an enclosure and there are three modern Nubian villages.
How to get there Elephantine Island can be reached by felucca from anywhere along the Corniche, or a motor boat from a landing near the telephone office. There is a private ferry which goes to the Oberoi Hotel but this lands inside the hotel enclosure.
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