Aswan City is a winter resort with many ancient Egyptian and Pharaonic sites, such as the Abu Simbel temples, the Philae temple, the unfinished obelisk, and many pharaonic tombs: the High Dam and Lake Nasser.
History of the name Aswan:
In the old days, people called Aswan Suwani or Sowant, which means market. The Greeks later called it the Sirin region, and then the name changed to Aswan.
Attractions in Aswan:
Unfinished obelisk:
Many blocks have been left incomplete at various stages. The enormous unfinished obelisk is still attached to the rock where it is located in the northern quarry. Flaws were found in the stone, so it was not used.
After that, people tried to make smaller obelisks out of them, but these plans were also put on hold. No sign of who it was intended for and only signs of workers can be seen on the roof. It would have weighed about 1,162 tons and been 42 meters long if it had been completed.
Nilometer:
Old Nilometer in front of Aswan. This helpful tool is a staircase on the river bank made of stones of regular shape. It was created to measure the maximum, minimum and average water level as the water rose and fell with the flood. Khedive Ismail fixed the Nilometer in 1870.
A new scale was made, and an old building that had not been used for hundreds of years was reused. During excavations on Elephantine Island, the second Nilometer of the 26th Dynasty was found. This tool is unique because it is calibrated based on how high the flood waters rise above farmland, not how high it rises above the low water mark.
Aswan Islands
Around Aswan, there are a lot of large and small islands that you should not miss. Taking a felucca from one of the many piers along the Corniche in Aswan is the easiest way to get there. But a few islands deserve special attention because if you don’t visit them, your tour of Aswan and Egypt as a whole will not be complete.
Elephantine Island
A wonderful island formed, and its rocks are in the shape of elephants, which is why it is called Elephantine Island.
Philae Island
It is a small island in Aswan, named by this name due to the presence of the Temple of Philae or the Temple of Isis on it. It can be reached by felucca. It will be a very excellent tour to explore the incredible Philae Temple.
Kalabsha Temple and Island:
Kalabsha Island is another exciting place that is now easily accessible from Aswan. Most people get to this site by taking a Lake Nasser cruise, but getting there from Aswan is easier. The site is located just behind the High Dam; if you have good eyesight, you can see it from the Dam.
You must go behind the high Dam and down to the jetty to get to the island. From there, you can take a motorboat out to the island. It is best to do this early morning when the sun is not as intense to enjoy your trip. Once you enter the temple, you will be surprised by the beautiful shapes painted on its walls and the intensity of its details.
Aswan Botanical Garden
It is considered one of the best and most beautiful gardens in Egypt because of the rare plants and different forms of them. You can reach the island in various states of felucca or cruises and others.
Aswan High Dam
It was built between the sixties and seventies at the request of President Gamal Abdel Nasser. The High Dam is a significant way to prevent the Nile from flooding and to generate electricity.
Tombs of the Nobles
On Aswan’s west bank, many tombs of Elephantine nobles, such as the sixth dynasty tombs of Sabni and his father Mekhu, were carved into the rock. Harkhuf’s tomb contains a lengthy description of his pioneering journeys, and there is also the tomb of Bibi-Nakht which is called Hakaib. All tombs have biographical texts written on them.
These texts talk about a person’s managerial skills and show entrepreneurial spirit. Expeditions have been sent to the uncharted area above the waterfall—tombs of Sirenput I and his grandson, Sirenput II, from the Middle Kingdom. Sirenput II’s tomb is one of the best-preserved tombs of the Middle Kingdom.
Nubian Museum
The Nubian Museum contains 3,000 pieces from different eras in Egypt, such as prehistoric, Pharaonic, Ptolemaic, Coptic, and Islamic eras. Various types of plants and trees from all over the world are present in the botanical garden.
Monastery of St. Simeon
The Monastery of St. Simeon, built in the 12th century AD, where missionary monks converted the Nubians to Christianity, is fascinating.
Abu Simbel Temple
Abu Simbel has two temples: the Great Temple of Ramesses II and the Small Temple of his great royal wife, Nefertari. Both were hewn from the solid mountain rock. Ramesses II decided to build temples 280 kilometres south of Aswan. A frieze of baboons is atop the temple front, and the cliff face has been cut down to look like a tower.
It reaches a height of 32 meters, 35 meters wide at the bottom and 32 meters wide at the top. Four seated statues of a young Ramesses II stand in front of the building. It is about 20 meters high and is believed to be about the same size as the giant broken granite statue at the Ramesseum. Nefertiti, whose name means “beautiful companion,” was the first wife of Ramesses II and the one he loved the most. Her temple in Abu Simbel, which is of Nefertari and the goddess Hathor, located north of the Great Temple of Ramesses II, shows her images.
