Elephantine Island

Elephantine Island is an Egyptian island on the Nile, opposite the city center of Aswan, of which it is now a part. 1300 meters long, 400 meters wide and covering 35 hectares, one of the largest islands in the First Cataract, it was originally a granite spur overlooking the Nile.

From an archaeological point of view, Elephantine is unique in the whole of Egypt.

In the New Kingdom, numerous temples were built on Elephantine Island, including a temple dedicated to Khnum, a peripteral temple dating back to Hatshepsut and Thutmosis III dedicated to Anoukis and a kiosk in the same style dating back to Amenhotep III. The three deities Khnum, Satis and Anoukis form the Elephantine triad. Satis prevents the flood from falling too low, while Anoukis regulates it if it exceeds a certain level.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the Aswan antique market saw the appearance of ostraca and an important batch of Aramaic papyri containing legal, social and religious documents, letters, an Aramaic version of the Behistoun inscription, etc., dating from the 5th century BC.
These documents attest to the existence of a Jewish colony living on the island around a temple dedicated to Yahweh (Yahô). They brought offerings and, exceptionally in the history of Judaism, made sacrifices on the altar as in the Temple of Jerusalem.