The Temple was dedicated to the goddess Isis, the wife of Osiris and mother of Horus.
Due to the construction of the Aswan High Dam in the 1960s, the temple had to rebuilt on another island. It was carefully dismantled with every block assigned a number and its position noted. A nearby higher island called Agilkai was modified to resemble Philae and the temple was resembled. In 1980, Philae was again opened to the public.