Aswan Egypt
- Nile Cruises and Tourist Attractions

Aswan is the southern-most city in Egypt, located 800 km south of Cairo at the first of six cataracts on the Nile. The city is an old commercial town and in antiquity it was known under the name of Syene.

Since construction of the Aswan Dam the city has become an important industrial centre with steel, aluminium and chemical industries based on the electrical power drawn from the turbines of the Dam.

Nubian Crossing the Nile

During the winter season the city is a junction for tourist voyages on the Nile and the starting point for tours to the Abu Simpel temple.

The climate is warm and dry all year through. During winter the daily temperatures reaches 23-30 C, during summer they easily reach 28-50 C.

Ancient Attractions in Aswan

The Monastery of St. Simeon
Ride a camel or climb to the ruins of the Coptic Monastery of St. Simeon, originally founded in the 7th century AD.

Monastery of Saint Simeon

Rebuilt in the 10th century and eventually destroyed by Salah al-Din in 1173, the monastery was a base for missionary monks who converted the Nubians to Christianity. Frescoes of the Apostles still remain in the roofless Basilica.

The Unfinished Obelisk
Much of the red granite used for ancient temples and colossi came from quarries in the Aswan area.

The Unfinished Obelisk

The Unfinished Obelisk still lies where a crack was discovered as it was being hewn from the rock. Possibly intended as a companion to the Lateran obelisk, originally at the Karnak Temple, now in Rome, it would have measured 120 ft and weighed over 1150 tons when complete.

The site has recently been renovated and equipped with tourist facilities.

Nearby is the Fatimide cemetery, hundreds of mud-brick tombs dating back to the 9th Century AD.

The Tombs of The Nobles
The northern hills of the west bank are filled with rock-hewn tombs of princes from the Old Kingdom to the Roman period. At night they are illuminated with hidden spotlights and can be clearly seen from Aswan.

Inside, the tombs are decorated with vivid wall paintings showing scenes of everyday life, hieroglyphic biographies and inscriptions telling of the noblemen's journeys into Africa.

Elephantine Island
The ancient stronghold of Elephantine lsland separates the Nile into two channels opposite Aswan. Walk through Nubian villages to the small museum, set in shady gardens, nearby is the ruins of Abu, settled by ancient Egyptians who believed it to be near the source of the Nile.

The remains of the many temples that were built here can still be seen, including the Temple of Khnum, originally erected during the Old Kingdom, a Graeco-Roman Necropolis and the Temple of Satet, built by Queen Hatshepsut.

Temple of Khnum

Kalabsha Temple
Kalabsha Temple was moved to its present location in 1970, together with other attractions from Nubia.

Reachable by taxi or by boat, depending on the water level, the sandstone edifice was built by the Roman Emperor Octavius Augustus and dedicated to the fertilitiy god Mandulis.

The Kiosk of Qertassi, with its two Hathor-headed columns, was moved at the same time and now stands near the water commanding fine views over Lake Nasser.

Nearby, dug into the hillside, is another of Ramses II's Nubian monuments to military might; Beit al-Wali celebrates his victories over the Nubian, Ethiopians, Asiatics and Libyans and brightly-coloured scenes inside the temple show Ramsees making offerings to the gods.

Philae Temple
Philae Temple was dismantled and reassembled (on Agilika lsland about 500m. from its original home on Philae Island) in the wake of the High Dam.

Philae Temple dedicated to Isis

The temple, dedicated to the goddess Isis, is in a beautiful setting which has been landscaped to match its original site. Its various shrines and sanctuaries, which include a temple of Hathor, a Birth House and two pylons, celebrate all the deities involved in the Isis and Osiris myth.

At night, one should visit the Sound and Light Show, a magical experience as floodlit buildings are silhouetted against the volcanic rocks and water surrounding them.

Modern Attractions in Aswan

Aswan Cultural Centre
One of Aswan's attractions is it's Cultural Centre. Every night Nubian dancers and musicians give performance just off the corniche. Folklore troupes recreate from village life and perform the famous Nubian mock stick-fight dances.

The Aga Khan Mausoleum
Take a felucca to the Aga Khan Mausoleum, atop a hill at the southern end of the west bank.

The Aga Khan Mausoleum

The Aga Khan used to spend every winter in Aswan and was buried here in this magnificent mausoleum, modelled on the Fatimid tombs in Cairo.

Kitchener Island
The Island was given to General-Consul Horatio Kitchener, the leader of the Egyptian army in the 1890s. The botanically-interested Consul brought vegetation from India, Malaysia and other eastern countries to plant on the Island.

Kitchener Island

It's a lovely place to spend a quiet afternoon. The only means of transportation is on a felukka or a motor boat.

The High Dam
The world-famous High Dam was an engineering miracle when it was built in the 1960s. Today it provides irrigation and electricity for the whole of Egypt and, together with the old Aswan Dam, 6 km downriver, it is a wonderful view for visitors.

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