Eland Roast - Sous Vide, Grilled and Fried

The eland is an African antelope. It was high on the list of animals I wanted to see in Africa last year and we saw one on our last day in Nairobi National Park as we were leaving. It is one of the largest African antelopes, looks a little ungainly and ugly, and has been domesticated for meat production in some areas of the world. 

Anshu Pathak of Exotic Meat Market located some domestic eland raised in Hawaii and made some eland meat available. I got a 3.9 pound roast that was so large that it gave me an opportunity to experiment by cooking it in different ways. There is virtually no fat so I was determined not to overcook it.  

3.9 pound eland roast.

First, I sliced part of the roast into thin slices and coated the slices in olive oil, then added salt and pepper. 

Next, I put two slices in a frying pan with some butter and several eggs from a friend of mine who raises chickens. I cooked the meat medium rare and ate it with bites of over-easy eggs. The meat is very mild, has none of the gamy taste that so often is found in antelope and it was quite tender.

Fried eland with eggs.

Note the pink meat in the cut pieces.

I put the rest of the thin slices onto the outdoor gas grill on high and cooked each side only for a minute or two. I sampled a slice or two at the same time I ate the fried slices. I liked the grilled slices much better: they were more moist and had a grilled flavor that really added to the flavor. I put the balance of the grilled slices into the refrigerator for some later meals. 

Grilled eland.

I set aside two slabs of the roast to cook sous vide, one for a relatively snort period of time and the other much longer. 

I cooked both at 57 degrees centigrade for medium rare. For the portion to be cooked for a shorter time, I added thyme, rosemary, roasted garlic slices, olive oil, salt and pepper and I cooked it for 3 and a half hours. The rosemary and garlic taste had diffused through the meat and I was surprised to find the meat a little stringy, more so than the fried or grilled meat. It was good, but I preferred the flavor, texture and juiciness of the grilled meat. 

Sous vide cooked eland with rosemary and garlic.

The other slab was cooked sous vide with ground ginger, maple sugar, orange peel, mandarin orange vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper. It was cooked for 9 hours and 45 minutes, almost three times longer. The texture of the meat was very mushy which detracted from it a lot. I liked the sweetness and would have liked more maple sugar and less ginger. The sweetness was a nice addition and I think I would have liked it much more without the mushiness.

Sous vide eland with maple sugar and ginger.

My favorite cooking method was by far the grilling. So the last bit of eland I cut into thicker slices and cooked it on the grill, coating it in olive oil, with salt and pepper. I cooked it rare. This was the best. It had a nice grilled taste and was very moist and juicy. It reminded me a lot of seared tuna and I wish I'd had some wasabi and soy sauce. I think that would be a wonderful combination. 

Thicker slices of eland cooked on the grill.

Nice and rare. 

For the leftovers, I made a large salad for lunch each of the next three days, with red leaf lettuce, chopped sweet onion, chopped orange and red peppers, tomatoes and avocados. Then I heated several slices of eland up in the microwave, cut it into slices and added it to the salad. I used blue cheese dressing for one salad and rosemary infused olive oil for the other two salads. It was amazing. Very lean, very tender with a nice different texture than the other ingredients. 

Grilled eland added to a salad. 

It was very fun to experiment by cooking the eland in different ways. I wouldn't hesitate to cut an eland roast into thin grilling slices again, trying some with wasabi and soy sauce, some just salt and peppered off the grill and some added to salads. 

Coyote Leg Sous Vide

Several years ago I had roasted coyote leg. It was quite good tasting, but very stiff and chewy. In the interim Judy gave me a sous vide cooker for Christmas which has opened up a whole new avenue of cooking for me. So when the opportunity arose to try some more coyote leg, I jumped at the chance. The question in my mind was whether cooking the leg sous vide would reduce the toughness of the meat. 

Coyote leg (the thigh)

The thickest end of the thigh. 

I fried the leg in butter and oil to give the outside a nice fried texture and taste. 

After the frying, I slathered some butter on the outside and cut up some of my favorite sausage to go into the sous vide packet, Southside Market jalapeno cheddar sausage (we discovered it in Elgin, Texas three years ago). I wanted the sausage to provide some fat for the extremely lean coyote leg. In addition, I added salt and pepper, thyme and rosemary. 

Sausage slices surround the coyote leg in the sous vide packet.

The question that always runs through my mind with the sous vide is what temperature to cook it at and how long to cook it for. Cooking for really long times makes the meat mushy, but it does retain its moisture. I wanted to avoid making it mushy, so I set the temperature to 57 degrees centigrade and cooked it for five hours and 40 minutes. 

I invited my friend Jerry over for dinner and when he arrived he gave me some home laid chicken eggs from the chickens he keeps in his back yard.  

I opened up the plastic pouch and started to cut up the coyote leg and it was very, very, very tough and stringy. Things were not looking good. I immediately regretted my decision not to cook it substantially longer. The taste was good, but it was probably the toughest and stringiest meat I've ever tasted, except perhaps some Scottish mountain hare. 

Cooked coyote leg with sausage slices.

Coyote meat to the right, sausage slices to the left. 

Several bites I chewed and chewed and chewed, and ended up spitting out the chewed up meat wad into the garbage. It did not break-down. Jerry politely ate several pies, spit some of his own meat-wad into a napkin and let the remainder of the meat he'd taken on his plate. He asked if he could take it home to his dog. 

After I'd given up on this disaster, I asked him to take all of the remaining meat to his dog. As he left, he said with a smile on his face, "can I have my eggs back?" Later, he called me to report he'd given some of the meat to his dog. His dog chewed, and chewed and chewed the meat, and eventually spit it out. It didn't look any different than when the dog first started. I laughed so hard I almost cried. 

I learned a lesson. The sous vide does break down the meat to some extent, particularly when cooked for long periods of time, but there are some meats than need to be brined. Coyote is obviously one of them. 

Fried (Without Breading) Bison Testicle

My previous post was breading and frying a bison testicle. With the remaining bison testicle I decided to cook it without breading it to see how it would compare. This testicle sat in the refrigerator an extra day and lost some blood and some of its firmness. It had the consistency of a firm water balloon. 

As with the previous testicle, I parboiled it for five minutes and it shrunk into a hard round ball (ahem). 

With a knife I opened it up and pulled off the stiff outer membrane and then cut it into thin slices. I then cut the slices into smaller pieces.

Previous to this I cut up three large shallots, seeded and diced one jalapeno, diced up three serrano peppers, diced up a whole head of garlic, three small orange bell peppers and then put them into a frying pan with a liberal sprinkling of rosemary and oregano fused olive oil. I also added a liberal amount of sweet basil and salt and pepper. 

When the vegetable combination had reduced and softened up, to minimize the heat of the peppers, the sliced up bison testicles were salt and peppered and added to the mix. They cooked quite awhile, perhaps ten minutes or more, with the vegetable mix, stirring regularly. 

Once the testicles were reduced and softened, the mix was put on a plate and ready to eat. One question that went through my mind was whether they would have the unpleasant taste and texture of the bull testicles we ate in Nairobi, the only other time I've had testicles that were not breaded. Fortunately, it was quite the opposite experience. Most of the testicle blended in perfectly with the vegetables. There was a little heat, but not as much as you would expect, from the peppers, and it was not only palatable, but very good. The outer layer of the testicles still remained a little rubbery, a little bit like the rubberiness of clams in clam soup, but it all blended in and went very well. This testicle dish rivaled the breaded and fried bison testicles we had at The Fort in Morrison, Colorado, as my favorite. It also called into question for me why the only testicles you find on menus are breaded and fried. 

Breaded and Fried Bison Testicle

The novelty of eating testicles is starting to wear off, but it has been fun venturing out in that direction. My first time eating "Rocky Mountain oysters" was at the Buckhorn Exchange in Denver. I recall the hesitation to try them, that first bite and my squeamish reaction as the organy taste filled my mouth. I've now tried bison, bull, lamb and turkey and they have differed quite a bit. All have been breaded and fried, except some bull testicles we were given at the Carnivore Restaurant in Nairobi. They must have been boiled. They were bland, with an off-putting organy taste, and the texture was very weird. If they'd been my first testicle taste test, they might  have been my last. Of the breaded and fried, those with less breading were best. They were more tender, gave more of the underlying organ taste and had more flavor.  

For Christmas Judy gave me a gift of assorted bison meat. Much of it was filets, but one package stood out: "buffalo fries." For the uninitiated this could be quite confusing, as "French" and "fries" is much different than "buffalo" and fries." I've been looking forward to trying my own hand at cooking testicles ever since, but there have been some barriers to my doing so. First, they were not suitable for some visitors: Judy specifically asked me not to serve them to the missionaries. Second, most people have no interest in venturing into that arena. Even Jerry, my friend who supplies me with wild boar meat and is usually willing to try most anything, declined my invitation for a true testicle treat. 

So with Judy out of town, and just me and the house, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to try them. There were two testicles in the package, that is the package Judy gave to me. One testicle was quite a bit larger than the other. I'm guessing that these testicles were not both in the same original package because I assume that the two testicles in a bison are approximately the same size, although this is only based on a hunch without any kind of a field study or internet search.  

I decided to try the smaller testicle first. Even though it was the smaller of the two, it was still a handful and decidedly different than other types of meat options. Of particular note were the veins (or ductus deferens?) coursing through the testicle and a protuberance that is probably where the spermatic cord was connected. 

Note the size of the testicle to the kitchen shears.

A protuberance at one end.

I defrosted the testicles and after reviewing several testicle recipes, parboiled the smaller testicle in boiling water for five minutes. The testicle turned white. When it had cooled down a little, a sharp knife was used to cut the tough outer membrane and then the membrane was stripped off. 

The parboiled testicle.

The testicle was then cut into thin slices, revealing a yellowish inside that looks remarkably similar to sea urchin sushi. I guess the comparison is not a bad one as the sea urchin sushi is the sea urchin gonads. Mind you, I'm not particularly fond of sea urchin sushi. 

The membrane has been cut into revealing a yellow inside. The outer membrane was stripped off.

A partially sliced testicle.

All sliced.

We have some olive oil diffused with peppers which I used as the cooking oil. To it was added some butter. 

Flour was spooned into a plastic bag and sprinkled liberally with salt and pepper. The testicle slices were tossed into the bag, swished around and then dropped into the sizzling frying pan. 

A few minutes on each side was all it took and the bison testicles were ready for a taste test. 

Golden fried bison nuggets. 

They were better than any testicles I've had, except for the bison testicles at The Fort in Morrison, Colorado. The breading was thin, the testicles were not overcooked, they were nicely salted and had a little bit of heat from the peppers. I ate the entire testicle which was actually quite a bit. 

Temple of Isis on Philae Island - Aswan, Egypt

Philae and Agilkia Islands

The Old Aswan Dam, also known as the Aswan Low Dam, was built on the Nile River in Aswan, Egypt between 1899 and 1902. It was later enlarged twice, first between 1908 and 1911 and then between 1929 and 1934. It is located just north (down river) of the the First Cataract of the Nile (the furthest north of the Six Cataracts), a stretch of whitewater where the Nile dropped 16 feet over three miles. The New Aswan Dam, also known as the Aswan High Dam, is four miles south (up river) of the Low Dam and 600 miles south of Cairo. It was built between 1959 and 1970. The reservoir behind the High Dam is known as Lake Nasser and extends south 310 miles, 125 miles into Sudan.    

We took a boat out to Agilkia Island, leaving just south of (behind) the Lower Dam which you can see in the background. 

Situated between the Low Dam and High Dam was Philae Island which had a temple complex that was going to be completely submerged. In order to preserve it, the temple complex was moved northeast, stone by stone, about a half mile to the higher Agilkia Island, which is also between the Low and High Dams.                       

An aerial view of Agilkia Island and the Philae Temple which now resides on it. The Low Dam can be seen to the upper left. Photo from egyptqualitytours.com.

This map is of the approach to the Temple of Isis on Agilkia Island. Note the landing where we arrived by boat at the bottom center. The map is from touregypt.net. 

Ptolemaic Dynasty

The basic structure of the Temple at Philae was built by Ptolemy II Philadelphus, the son of the original Ptolemy (Ptolemy I Soter), a Macedonian general under Alexander the Great. Ptolemy I was appointed satrap of Egypt after Alexander's death in 323 BCE and in 305 BCE declared himself King Ptolemy I, then later "Soter" (saviour). The Egyptians accepted the Ptolemies as pharaohs (pharaoh was the Egyptian name for the king and the son of the god Ra) and they ruled Egypt for 275 years, until 30 BCE when Egypt was conquered by the Romans. Ptolemy II was born about 309 BCE and ruled Egypt from 283 to 246 BCE. His first wife, Arsinoe I, was the daughter of Lysimachus, another of Alexander's generals. Ptolemy II later repudiated that marriage and married his full sister, Arsinoe II, who was the widow of Lysimachus. Egypt attained its greatest height during his reign. The Ptolemies ruled from Alexandria, a Hellenistic city founded by Alexander in 331 BCE. Ptolemy II completed the big projects started by his father in Alexandria, including the great library (the largest in the ancient world), the university (inviting learned men from all fields to come and lecture, write, and research) and the Pharos Lighthouse (one of the seven wonders of the ancient world). He also completed a canal with a lock along the Nile which was named after him and a fact I like, was the first to import camels into Egypt. He was also likely the patron of the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible known as the Septuagint. A man after my own heart, he brought exotic animals into Alexandria. In a procession to honor Dionysus, he had chariots led by elephants, followed by lions, leopards, panthers, camels, antelopes, wild asses, ostriches (as many as eight pairs), a bear, a giraffe and a rhinoceros.

Following the example of Alexander in his conquests, the Ptolemies fused the religion of Egypt with that of the Greeks through the process of syncretism. Ptolemy I actually employed an Egyptian priest and a member of an Athenian priestly family and gave them the charge to work together and combine the religions. Alexander had claimed the divine right to rule Egypt from Amun, whom he identified with the Greek god Zeus. Ptolemy I linked the Greek god Hades to the Egyptian gods Osiris and Apis, combining them into the god Serapis, and established his divine right to rule through Serapis. Serapis was worshiped in the form of a bull wearing a sunk disk and uraeus (cobra). The Egyptian god Horus got identified with Apollo, Hathor with Aphrodite and Thoth with Hermes. The Ptolemies also adopted the existing system of government in Egypt. The Egyptians conveniently believed that pharaohs were living gods and came to believe that the Ptolemies were living gods as the Ptolemies adopted the pharaoh title. However, this was not part of Greek culture and the Greeks living in Egypt did not honor the Ptolemies as gods immediately. Greek culture did, however, allow posthumous deification and eventually the Greeks extended the deification of dead persons to living persons and acknowledged the Ptolemies as gods. This process started when Ptolemy II deified his deceased father, Ptolemy I in 280 BCE. Eventually Ptolemy II declared himself a living god.

As pharaohs, the Ptolemies needed to pay tribute to the gods through building and restoring temples and monuments. They did such a good job of it that they eventually rivaled the great building periods of the Old and New Kingdoms in terms of the number of temples built. Philae is one example of that.

Isis

Isis was married to Osiris. Osiris was killed by his brother Set who wanted his throne. Isis joined together the pieces of Osiris but could not find his phallus. So she fashioned a golden phallus and briefly brought Osiris back to life by a spell she learned from her father, Geb, god of the earth (her mother was Nut, goddess of the sky). She got pregnant by Osiris before he died again and gave birth to Horus as a result of that union. With the arrival of the Ptolemies, Isis got a new husband, Serapis (who was a combination of Osiris and Apis). Earlier traditions had Isis as the wife of Horus and some regions had Horus as the same god as Ra, who was paired with Hathor. Since Isis was paired with Horus and Horus was identified with Ra, Isis started to be merged with Hathor as Isis-Hathor.

It was believed that the annual flooding of the Nile was caused by Isis weeping for her husband. Isis is worshiped as the ideal wife and mother. A patroness of nature and magic, a protector of the dead and goddess of children. Her name means throne and she was the personification of the throne. In fact, sometimes her headdress was shone as a throne. The pharaoh was depicted as her child who sat on the throne that she provided for him. She was popular throughout Egypt, but Philae was one of the two most important of her temples. With the syncretization of Egyptian and Greek religion, Isis became a popular god throughout the Greco-Roman world. In fact, one motif of Isis suckling her son Horus was copied in Christian iconography with Mary suckling the baby Jesus.

The temple was viewed as a house for the god to reside in on earth. The god's presence allowed humans to interact with the god through ritual. The rituals sustained the god and allowed the god to continue to play his or her purpose. Inside, offerings were made to the god. At sunrise one priest would enter the sanctuary, open the doors of the shrine and prostrate himself before the god's image. He removed the god from the shrine, replaced the clothes on it from the previous day and anointed it with oil and paint. Another priest brought the god a meal of meats, fruits, vegetables and bread. The god ate the spiritual essence of the meal which then allowed the priests to eat the actual meal. Other rituals took place at noon and sunset.

Festivals were held to reenact their interactions with humans. Two annual festivals were dedicated to Isis. One was celebrated on the Vernal Equinox (around March 20) to celebrate the return of life to the world (I assume that Easter is probably a continuation of that ceremony, celebrating the resurrection of Jesus). The other celebration started on October 31 and lasted through November 3. A passion play was enacted of the death of Osiris and Isis bringing him back to life. On the first day of the festival, actors would impersonate Isis and other gods as they searched the world for the body parts of Osiris. The second and third day were the reassembly and rebirth of Osiris and the fourth day was a rejoicing of the success of Isis and a newly immortal Osiris.

The pharaoh delegated the ritual duties to priests. However, all classes of Egyptians could come to the temple to pray, give offerings and seek guidance from the god within.

In 380 CE, Theodosius issued the Edict of Thessalonica which made Christianity the religion of the Roman Empire and banned all pagan religions. However, it was not enforced in parts of Egypt because of a treaty that had been entered into by Diocletian. The Byzantine Emperor, Justinian, who ruled from 527 to 565, eventually enforced the edict and Philae was the very last of the ancient Egyptian temples to be closed.

Kiosk of Nectanebo

The first structure we encountered as we left the boat was the Kiosk of Nectanebo, the oldest standing structure on the island. This was a vestibule, or entrance hall, to the Temple of Isis, and one of the first structures in its construction. It was a hall with 14 columns, but only 6 remain. They are known as Hathoric columns because the capital of each column has the head of Hathor (the goddess of joy, feminine love and motherhood) on four sides. In between the columns are six foot high screens, topped by cobras in an upright position, a symbol of kingship. The screens have carved reliefs showing Nectanebo sacrificing to the gods. 

The Kiosk of Nectanabo (center). 

A closer view of two screens topped by cobras with the Hathor capitals in the background. 

A close-up of a Hathor capital. 

Nectanebo was the hellenized name of Kheperkare Nakhtnebef, the first pharaoh of the 30th Dynasty, the last group of native Egyptian rulers. He came to power by overthrowing Nepherites II, the last pharaoh of the 29th Dynasty. Nectanebo was pharaoh for 18 years, from 379 or 378 BCE to 361 or 360 BC. Nectanebo also built the first pylon at Karnak, a different structure we visited later in our trip. 

Western Colonnade

Going north from the Kiosk of Nectanebo you enter a courtyard with colonnades on each side and the first pylon at the back. The western colonnade is about 100 yards long and contains 31 columns. The capitals on the columns are floral designs and each one is different. Most of the columns have carvings of the Roman Emperor Tiberius (14 CE to 37 CE) offering gifts to the gods. What remains of the ceiling has stars and flying vultures and the rear wall has rows of reliefs showing Tiberius and the Emperor Augustus (27 BCE to 14 CE) offering gifts to the gods. These reliefs were added later as decoration, well after the time the colonnade was built.

The western colonnade to the left and the first pylon at the back. 

One of the floral capitals. These capitals were some of my favorite decorations. 

Decoration on a column, perhaps Tiberius (?), with decorations behind it on the back wall. 

One of the reliefs on a column. The volume and details of carvings in these temples was staggering. 

Eastern Colonnade

The eastern colonnade was never completed. It has 17 columns, but only 6 have completed capitals. On the other side of the colonnade are some chapels that we did not visit.

The eastern colonnade with the first pylon to the back. Note that the capitals to the far right are not complete. 

First Pylon

In front of the first pylon are two lions carved from pink granite. Two large obelisks also used to be here, but they were taken away and now reside in Dorset, England.

The first pylon is the main entrance to the temple dedicated to Isis. It has two towers and a gate between them. Ptolemy II Philadelphus (283 to 246 BC) began the building of the first pylon and it was finished by his son, Ptolemy III Euergetes (246 to 222 BC). However, decorations on it continued afterwards. For example, on the western tower, there is a depiction of Ptolemy XII Auletes (80 to 58 BCE and 55 to 51 BCE) who reigned about 150 years after the pylons were built.

Ptolemy XII Auletes at bottom left on the western tower smashing his enemies with a royal mace. These reliefs were badly damaged by the early Christians. Above him, to the left, Ptolemy XII is depicted in the presence of Unnefer, the name given to Osiris after his resurrection, and to the right, in the presence of Isis and Hariesis.

On the eastern tower, to the bottom left is Isis wearing the headdress of Hathor (Isis-Hathor), which is a sun disk surrounded by a cobra set between cow horns. Resting on her head is a vulture. To the right of her is Horus, the falcon-headed god wearing the pschent, the double crown of ancient Egypt representing the pharaoh's power over all of unified Egypt. The bottom or lower crown, that looks like a chair, is the Red Deshret Crown of Lower Egypt and the crown resting on it is the White Hedjet Crown of Upper Egypt. They are facing Ptolemy XII who is out of the picture. 

This Coptic Christian cross is carved into the stone to the side of the gateway.  

The gateway of the first pylon was built by Nectanebo, the one who built the vestibule above. Through the gateway is the forecourt of the temple.

The gateway built by Nectanebo. Isis stands to either side and two lions are in front. Through the gateway the second pylon can be seen at the rear.

On the backside of the first pylon are more depictions. These types of depictions are what made me fall in love with the Egyptian temples. They are so old, so detailed, so varied and covering virtually all wall space. I was awed by them. In many respects they make Christian cathedrals pale in comparison.

Detail of the Temple of Isis from touregypt.net. The first pylon is at the bottom. 

Forecourt and Second Pylon

Inside the first pylon, on the left side of the forecourt, is the mammisi or birth-house. This was a feature in all Ptolemaic temples. The mammisi contained a sanctuary of several rooms surrounded by a colonnade and was dedicated to the goddess and her child, in this case, Isis and Horus. The pharaoh was viewed as the incarnation of Horus, the child of Isis. So it was important that the Ptolemies share this story as it was the foundation for their power. This particular colonnade has Hathor head capitals. The other side of the forecourt has columns with floral and palm leaf capitals. The northern wall of the forecourt is the second pylon which is at a different angle than the first pylon (see the detail above). Steps lead up to the gateway between the two towers. On the right, or eastern tower, Ptolemy XII offers incense and dedicates animal sacrifices to Horus and Isis. 

The forecourt with the second pylon in the background. The birth-house is to the left. 

Hathor capitals on the birth-house columns. 

A depiction of Isis, Horus and Ptolemy XII on the second pylon, very similar to the depiction on the first pylon, but in better condition. 

A close-up of the falcon head of Horus. 

The following pictures give detail from columns in the east colonnade. 

I like the lines and decorations on the skirt. 

This side view shows the two pylons, the mammisi in the middle, and the housing for the chambers at the left end. Photo from Wikipedia.

Inner Chamber

Next we went into the inner chamber of the Temple of Isis. It seemed to be chamber, after chamber, after chamber. The walls were covered with wonderful bas reliefs in very good condition. The inner most room is the sanctuary lit by two small windows which is where the image of Isis was held. A pedestal is in the sanctuary placed by Ptolemy III Euergetes, the third Ptolemy. Unfortunately, it was very crowded and I did not get a picture of it. I give bunches of photos of various reliefs, many of which I have no clue what they represent. 

The various chambers are visible ahead.

The symbol in the center is known as the ankh. The word in Latin means "cross with a handle." It represents the concept of eternal life. The Egyptian gods are often portrayed carrying it, often by the handle. The combination of male (the cross) and female (the circle) symbols also suggest fertility and creative power. The Coptic Christians adopted the symbol to represent the resurrection of Christ. Nebet, the symbol of the basket, which supports the ankh, means "lord" or "master" or "all." Deities were often placed on the nebet or basket to emphasize their divine nature. 

Here is the same basic symbol as above, the ankh and the nebet, but with two arms, each holding a "was scepter," a stylized animal head at the top of a straight staff with a forked end. Was scepters are symbols of power and dominion. The was scepter was often parallel with the ankh, as above. On closer inspection, the picture above this one also contains the was scepter, but not held by arms. The arms represent "ka," shoulders and arms with the arms bent upwards at the elbow. Ka is the life power in man given by the gods, the source of these powers and the spiritual double that resides in each person. Ka needed a body and was the reason the Egyptians mummified their dead. If the body decomposed, the ka would die and the deceased would not have eternal life. So this grouping of symbols is representing life power, eternal life, divinity and power and dominion, a pretty strong combination of symbols. 

Neret, or the vulture, was a symbol of Isis, Hathor and Mut. It also symbolized the feminine. A vulture in a nebet, or basket, also symbolized Upper Egypt. Upper Egypt was the area between the cataracts of the Nile, above modern Aswan, downriver to a little below Cairo. So this temple is in Upper Egypt. Lower Egypt was far northern Egypt, between Cairo and the Mediterranean Sea, including the fertile Nile Delta. 

I can't find the meaning of this symbol, some type of bird. It almost looks like a cormorant.

Seba, the star to the left, is patterned after a starfish, with five equidistant spokes. Stars inhabited this world and the afterworld and often represented souls in the underworld.  The rekhyt bird, a lapwing, is identified by a pointed bill, long squared tail, and long crest on the head. It represents the lowest class of society or the common people. Here the rekhyt raises its arms in adoration. It is speculated that the rekhyt may represent an area of the temple where the common people could gather and worship. 

This is part of a column with the head of Hathor. 

This appears to be a priest bringing an offering to Isis. This was on a wall of one of the inner chambers, if not the sanctuary itself. 

Another offering for Isis

And another, as Isis sits on her throne.

Sekhmet, the lion goddess, was the warrior goddess and goddess of healing for Upper Egypt. She was the protector of the pharaohs and led them in warfare. Her breath formed the desert. She is also a solar deity, the solar disk on her head, sometimes called the daughter of the sun god Ra and associated with Hathor. A cobra is wrapped around the disk, which is uraeus, a symbol of royalty and deity. 

A closer view of Sekhmet's lioness head. 

Nekhbet was the patron god of Upper Egypt and one of two patron deities when Egypt was unified. In art, she was depicted as a vulture. Here she rests on the head of Isis and spreads her wings, protecting the pharaoh from his enemies. On top of Nekhbet is Wadjet, her counterpart in Lower Egypt. She is depicted as a rearing cobra. Above is the headdress of Hathor, the sun disk with uraeus (the cobra) set between cow horns. This is basically the same depiction of Isis-Hathor as on the first and second pylons, but in better condition. 

A closer view of the vulture hat that I really liked. 

Trajan's Kiosk

Trajan's kiosk was built by the Roman Emperor Trajan in about 100 CE. An example of how the Romans continued the syncretism started by Alexander and continued by the Ptolemies. It has 14 columns with floral capitals and inside reliefs showing Trajan as a pharaoh making offerings to Isis, Osiris and Horus. It was probably built to shelter the bark (ship) of Isis. When built it was covered by a wood roof.

This map of Philae Island from touregypt.net shows the location of Trajan's Kiosk to the right side, below the middle of the island.

A side view of the kiosk. 

Close-up of a floral capitdal.

More of an end view.

A closer view. 

View of the Low Dam from the kiosk platform.

Although our guide said we would see much better temples in other parts of Egypt, Philae probably remains my favorite. Part of it was that it was the first Egyptian temple we saw and I was bowled over by it. It was so much more than I expected. Part of it was the location on an island in a lake. Part of it was the clean lines and extraordinary clarity of many of the reliefs. And part of it was my somewhat familiarity with the Ptolemies and their Greek rule as Egyptian gods. The adaptations they made to adopt Egyptian government, religion and customs were really quite extraordinary.