Philae Island gained great importance to the ancient Egyptian due to its distinguished location, as it and the island of Aswan formed natural geographical boundaries, and it was known in the Egyptian texts as the dividing line. As for the word "Philae" it is derived from the Greek word "Velai" meaning the beloved, and it has been defined in Arabic literature In the name of “Anas Al-Wujud” as it is related to folklore stories, the efforts of the Nuba Archaeological Fund have succeeded in transferring the entire island’s ruins to the neighboring island of Agelika. The "Temple of Isis" is the main temple on the island, occupying a quarter of its area, and was built by King Ptolemy II in the place of another smaller temple that was also dedicated to Isis and dedicated to the soldiers assigned to protect the borders of southern Egypt, and many Ptolemaic kings contributed to its construction. The island also has a temple dedicated to the worship of Hathor, as well as the "Nachtenbo I" booth, as well as the "Taharqa" booth which was also constructed by Isis.

The missing obelisk lies on the northern edge of the obelisk quarry, which is the most important granite quarry in Aswan; it was discovered in 2005 in the quarries of Aswan where its stones were used to build the pyramid group of King Khufu and also cut many obelisks. This obelisk is the longest Egyptian obelisk, with a length of about 42 m, and a weight of about 1,000 tons. The work of this obelisk was not completed due to the cracking of its surface. The importance of the missing obelisk is due to the fact that it has shown how to make obelisks and cut huge stones. For example, stones were found in the diorite stone - up to 6 kg in weight - used as hammers to separate and cut off the sides of the obelisk and its effects are evident on the obelisk body, which is the process Prior to making a trench around the obelisk, this huge block could be freed completely.