Places to visit in Aswan

The kids will enjoy the numerous archaeological sites concentrated at one single place. Lying in the Northern Quarries, there is an unfinished Obelisk which is around 42m in length. Due to some flaw detected in the stone it was abandoned by the stone masons. Apart from this they can visit the Botanical Garden on the Kitchener’s Island.

Another great treasure trove is the International Museum of Nubia. Built in 1997, this building is spread over an area of 50,000 square meters. This museum houses some 3000 antiquities and artifacts which depict the Nubian culture and the development of this civilization.

The Aswan Museum- Originally it was the villa of Sir William Willcocks who was the architect of the Aswan Dam. In 1912, this place was turned into a museum. Here, you can see many artifacts which were collected from the ruins of Abu Simbel like statues, weapons, pottery and utensils. Also there are several encased mummies belonging to different period of time put to display here. The exhibits are very well labeled in both Arabic as well as in English.

It is an ancient Egyptian temple which is thought to e the burial place of Osiris, the god of the afterlife, death, life, and resurrection. This island in the Lake Nasser was a site of an ancient Egyptian temple which was relocated to a nearby island of Agilkia to prevent it from getting submerged. It forms a part of the complex known as Nubian Monuments which has been declared as the UNESCO World Heritage Site. This temple complex is thought to be built by the Ancient Pharoah Nectanebo I in 380BC.

This two storeyed monastery was first dedicated to the 4th-century local saint Anba Hedra. However, later in the 10th century it was renamed as the Monastery of St. Simeon where monks used to reside along with the visiting pilgrims. From here the monks used to travel to the neighbouring Nubia in order to fulfil their missionary duties. This included their activities to turn the Nubians towards Christianity. This brought wrath upon this monastery when Saladin destroyed this monastery in 1173AD. If you are planning to visit this site then you can walk around 25 kms from the boat landing towards this place or hire a camel to take you up. You can also reach here from the Tombs of the Nobles by a camel ride.

Aswan is a desert city which is also one of the driest and hottest places on this Earth. It receives less than 1mm of precipitation annually. As a result it is a very dry region throughout the year. The summers are very prolonged and intense season where the average daytime temperature is always 40c and more. It receives around 4000 hours of sunshine annually which is very close to the maximum theoretical sunshine duration as known. Like Egypt, Aswan also has desert like geographic characteristics.

Tombs of the Nobles- In the Egyptian culture, dead people are highly revered. They are always respected and paid homage for their achievements and good doings while they were alive. Similarly, in ancient times, the bodies of the nobles and other famous personalities were also embalmed in the best possible ways and buried in elaborated tombs. In the high cliffs just opposite to Aswan, there are tombs of various nobles and great personalities who lived in the ancient island of Elephantine. This includes several governors, dignitaries and the Keepers of the Gate of the South amongst them. Some of these tombs retain their original grandeur which is a treat for eye. Visit this site anytime between 8am to 4pm in the evening.

It is one of the earliest settlement areas in Aswan. Here, in 3000BC, the ancient city of Abu was established which gained a much importance due to its trading relations with other provinces. It is a very important archaeological site which tells us about the life of the ancient Egyptian settlements here and their life. This island is also considered to be the dwelling place for the ram-headed god Khnum, who was worshipped as the creator of humankind on his potter’s wheel, Satet, his wife and goddess who guard’s the southern frontier and their daughter Anket. However, with the advent of Christianity, these ancient cult deities were later forgotten.

These are two massive rock temples, each carved out directly from the mountain. Located on the western bank of the Lake Nasser, these temples comprise of the complex known as the Nubian Monuments. This entire complex has been marked as the UNESCO World Heritage Site. These twin temples were built in the 13th century to be dedicated to the Pharaoh Ramesses II and his wife queen Nefertari. The façade of the Great Temple is adored by four colossal 20m statues of the Pharoah himself. However, one of these was destroyed by a massive earthquake and the broken parts of the statues can be seen lying down. These temples were relocated to a higher ground in 1968. It was necessary to do so otherwise it would have been submerged under the water of the Lake Nasser.