OT Staff
Just north of the Aswan Dam on the east bank of the Nile River lies the modern city of Aswan. It has five monuments that rank on the UNESCO World Heritage list. Here's what you should see there.
The monuments of Philae include many structures dating predominantly to the Ptolemaic Period (332–30 BCE) like the temples of Isis and Hathor. These monuments were relocated from the original Philae Island to Agilkia Island.
The Nubian Museum has three floors which exhibit thousands of artefacts that shed light on the development of the Egyptian and Nubian geography and its civilisations. There is also a lecture hall, library, educational department, etc.
The Tombs of the Nobles, also called Qubbet el-Hawa, is where ancient carvings and hieroglyphics from at least 3,800 years ago still exist alongside Christian murals and Muslim monuments. The site is home to hundreds of rock-cut tombs.
The Great Temple of Abu Simbel was cut into the living rock by King Ramesses II (the Great) of the Nineteenth Dynasty, around 1264 BCE. The temple is most well known for the four colossal seated statues that dominate its façade.
This temple is dedicated to two deities: the crocodile god Sobek and the falcon god Harwer (Horus the Elder). The temple has a unique design with two parallel axial passages running through its columned halls, terminating in two sanctuaries, one for each deity.
The Aswan High Dam is one of the world's largest embankment dams which was built across the Nile between 1960 and 1970. Designed for both irrigation and power generation, the dam will supposedly last for at least 200 years.
The mausoleum of Aga Khan III is where Sir Sultan Muhammed Shah is buried. He was an imam of the Nizari Ismaili branch of Shia Islam. The structure was designed to resemble the Masjid al-Juyushi, a Fatimid mosque that was constructed in 1085.
This beautiful and remarkably well-preserved monument is the largest free-standing temple in Lower Nubia. It was built during the reign of Augustus (30 BCE–14 AD), the first Roman emperor.
The fortress-like 7th-century Monastery of St Simeon was first dedicated to the local saint Anba Hedra, who renounced the world on his wedding day. It was rebuilt in the 10th century and dedicated to St Simeon.
Covering 6.8 hectares, the gardens are filled with birds as well as hundreds of species of flora. While it may have lost some of its former glory, its majestic trees are still a stunning sight, particularly just before sunset.