Dome

View looking down the interior of the west colonnade; From Nectanebo's monument north, there are two colonnades, one on the east side and another on the west of an outer courtyard that leads to the first temple pylon. The western half of the colonnade is the more complete, and is pierced with windows originally looking toward the island of Biggeh. A nilometer descends the cliff from here. The colonnade is about one hundred yards long and contains thirty-one of the original thirty-two columns. The column capitals tops are floral, and remarkable in their variety with no two being alike. Most of the columns show carvings of Tiberius offering gifts to the gods. The ceiling, which is mostly destroyed, is decorated with stars and and flying vultures, while the rear wall has two rows of bas-reliefs of Tiberius and Augustus offering to the gods. [Tour Egypt] "Most of the buildings at Philae were erected during the Ptolemaic period, but there are many inscriptions and reliefs of later periods, especially the reign of Augustus (reigned 30 BCE-14 CE). This demonstrates that the new regime of Roman emperors maintained the temples of Philae for political reasons, since the Temple of Isis was the favourite shrine of the inhabitants of Nubia, which constituted a dangerous trouble spot at the borders of the Roman empire." Source: Grove Art Online; http://www.groveart.com/ (accessed 1/19/2008)