Bigeh

Bigeh Island, located in the Nile River within the Aswan Governorate of southern Egypt, is an important archaeological site with deep historical and religious significance. Historically positioned at the First Cataract, the island played a strategic role in controlling access to Upper Egypt and Nubia. It was sacred to the ancient Egyptians, who believed Osiris was buried there. A temple known as Abaton, where only priests were allowed, was dedicated to Osiris, marking it as a significant religious site. The island's sacred nature is further emphasized by references from Seneca and Lucan, and by the visit of an embassy from the Kingdom of Kush in the 3rd century CE. The site's integration into the reservoir of the Old Aswan Dam has preserved its unique archaeological and historical context.