Must-see attractions in Southern Nile Valley

  • The Temple of Edfu, Egypt - from the Ptolemaic period.
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    Temple of Horus

    Southern Nile Valley

    This Ptolemaic temple, built between 237 and 57 BC, is one of the best-preserved ancient monuments in Egypt. Preserved by desert sand, which filled the…

  • Trajans Kiosk on Philae Island near Aswan, Upper Egypt.

    Temple of Isis

    Southern Nile Valley

    Built to honour the goddess Isis, this was the last temple built in the classical Egyptian style. Construction began around 690 BC, and it was one of the…

  • Exhibits of monuments in the Museum of Nubia in Aswan, Egypt.

    Nubia Museum

    Aswan

    The little-visited Nubia Museum, opposite Basma Hotel, is a treat, a showcase of the history, art and culture of Nubia. Established in 1997 in cooperation…

  • Aswan botanical gardens.

    Aswan Botanical Gardens

    Aswan

    Kitchener’s Island, to the west of Elephantine Island, was given to Lord Horatio Kitchener in the 1890s when he was commander of the Egyptian army…

  • Ruins of Abu on Elephantine Island with Nile River in the background.

    Ruins of Abu

    Aswan

    The evocative ruins of ancient Abu and the Aswan Museum (partially closed for renovation) lie at Elephantine Island's southern tip. Numbered plaques and…

  • Unfinished Obelisk

    Aswan

    Aswan was the source of ancient Egypt’s finest granite, used to make statues and embellish temples, pyramids and obelisks. The large unfinished obelisk in…

  • Temple Of Kom Ombo in Egypt.

    Temple of Kom Ombo & Crocodile Museum

    Southern Nile Valley

    Standing on a promontory at a bend in the Nile, where in ancient times sacred crocodiles basked in the sun on the riverbank, is the Temple of Kom Ombo,…

  • Sandstone quarry Gebel El Silsila.

    Gebel Silsila

    Southern Nile Valley

    At Gebel Silsila, the Nile narrows considerably to pass between steep sandstone cliffs, cluttered with ancient rock stelae and graffiti. The good quality…

  • Temple of Khnum.

    Temple of Khnum

    Southern Nile Valley

    Construction of the Temple of Khnum, the ram-headed creator god who fashioned humankind on his potter’s wheel, was begun by Ptolemy VI Philometor (180–45…

  • Kalabsha Temple on an island on Lake Nasser near Aswan in Egypt.

    Kalabsha Temple

    Southern Nile Valley

    Kalabsha Temple is an impressive Ptolemaic and Roman structure, not unlike nearby Philae in its layout. The early 19th-century Swiss traveller Burckhardt …

  • Interior view of Tomb of Sarenput II in Qubbet el-Hawa a site of a group of Rock-cut Tombs of the Nobles on the western Bank of the Nile, opposite Aswan Egypt

    Tombs of the Nobles

    Aswan

    The high cliffs opposite Aswan, just north of Kitchener’s Island, are honeycombed with the tombs of the governors, the Keepers of the Gate of the South,…

  • Nubian painted houses on Elephantine Island on River Nile. - stock photo

Aswan, Egypt, North Africa, Africa

    Elephantine Island

    Aswan

    Elephantine Island's southern end comprises the site of ancient Abu. Its name meant both 'elephant' and 'ivory' in ancient Egyptian, a reminder of the…

  • Al Kab Tombs

    Southern Nile Valley

    Cut into the ridge across the road from the village of Al Kab is a row of tombs. The most interesting is No 2, from the New Kingdom (1550–1069 BC), which…

  • Seheyl

    Aswan

    Situated just north of the old Aswan Dam, the island of Seheyl was sacred to the goddess Anukis. Before the dam’s construction, the Nile would rush…

  • Qasr Ibrim

    Southern Nile Valley

    The only Nubian monument visible on its original site, Qasr Ibrim once sat on top of a 70m-high cliff, about 60km north of Abu Simbel, but now has water…

  • Aswan Museum

    Aswan

    The modern annexe of the museum has reopened with a delightful collection of objects, from weapons, pottery and utensils to statues, encased mummies and…

  • Temple of Amada

    Southern Nile Valley

    The Temple of Amada, moved about 2.6km from its original location, is the oldest surviving monument on Lake Nasser. It was built jointly by 18th-dynasty…

  • Sharia As Souq

    Aswan

    Starting from the southern end, Sharia As Souq appears very much like the tourist bazaars all over Egypt, with slightly less persistent traders than…

  • Animalia

    Aswan

    This is a small but charming museum run by Mohamed Sobhi, a Nubian guide, and his family, who have dedicated part of their large house to the traditions,…

  • Fekra

    Aswan

    Fekra is a farm located on 40,000 sq m of land on the lake between the old dam and the High Dam, and overlooks Philae Island. The Fekra Cultural Centre –…

  • Daraw Camel Market

    Southern Nile Valley

    Daraw has one of the largest camel markets in Egypt. Most of the camels come in caravans from Sudan’s Darfur and Kordofan along the Darb Al Arba’een …

  • Beit Al Wali

    Southern Nile Valley

    Close to the Kalabsha Temple, the Temple of Beit Al Wali, mostly built by Ramses II, is cut into the rock and fronted by a brick pylon. On the walls of…

  • Aga Khan Mausoleum

    Aswan

    The elegant Tomb of Mohammed Shah Aga Khan belongs to the 48th imam (leader) of the Ismaili sect. In his illustrious life he was hugely influential in the…

  • Nilometer of Khnum

    Aswan

    The Nilometer of the Temple of Khnum (plaque number 7) is below the southern balustrade of the temple. Built in the 26th dynasty, the Nilometer's stone…

  • Temple of Ramses II

    Southern Nile Valley

    Built during the reign of the energetic pharaoh, the interior of the Temple of Ramses II was hewn from the rock and fronted by a stone pylon and colossal…

  • Gharb Seheyl

    Aswan

    Gharb Seheyl, the village opposite Seheyl island, has become popular tourist attraction of late, both with excursions from Aswan and for those looking for…

  • Corniche

    Aswan

    Walking along the Corniche and watching the sunset over the islands and desert across the Nile is a favourite pastime in Aswan. The view from riverside…

  • Temple of Dakka

    Southern Nile Valley

    About 1km to the north of the Temple of Ramses II are the remains of the Temple of Dakka, begun by the Nubian pharaoh Arkamani (218–200 BC) using…

  • Tomb of Pennut

    Southern Nile Valley

    The small rock-cut Tomb of Pennut, viceroy of Nubia under Ramses VI (1143–1136 BC), was originally situated at Aniba, 40km southwest of Amada. This well…

  • Caravanserai

    Southern Nile Valley

    The best-preserved of the caravanserais in Esna, the beautiful Wikalat Al Gidawi was named after the merchant Shahbandar Al Tuggar Al Sayed Hasan Al…

  • Emari Minaret

    Southern Nile Valley

    Built in 1082 AD, this Fatimid minaret is one of the oldest in Egypt. The various layers, square base, cylindrical upper part, concave octagonal drum and…

  • Speos of Horemheb

    Southern Nile Valley

    The Speos of Horemheb was started by the New Kingdom pharaoh Horemheb (1323–1295 BC) and finished by the officials of the later Ramesside kings. The small…

  • Temple of Maharraqa

    Southern Nile Valley

    The Temple of Maharraqa, the smallest of the three at Wadi As Subua, originally stood 40km north at the ancient site of Ofendina. Dedicated to Isis and…

  • Temple of Kertassi

    Southern Nile Valley

    Just north of the Kalabsha Temple are the scant but picturesque remains of the Temple of Kertassi, with two Hathor columns, a massive architrave and four…

  • Qubbet Al Hawa

    Aswan

    On the hilltop above the Tombs of the Nobles lies this small domed tomb, constructed for a local sheikh or holy man. The steep climb up is rewarded with…

  • Swimming Beach

    Aswan

    This lovely beach on the Nile is safe for swimming, but you'll need a motor boat to get there, or walk or take a camel from Gharb Seheyl.

  • Egypt - Monastery of St. Simeon- Upper Egypt, Aswan, Nile River left bank; Shutterstock ID 239531329; Your name (First / Last): Josh Vogel; Project no. or GL code: 56530; Network activity no. or Cost Centre: Online-Design; Product or Project: 65050/7529/Josh Vogel/LP.com Destination Galleries

    Monastery of St Simeon

    Aswan

    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…

  • Al Kab

    Southern Nile Valley

    Originally known as Nekheb, Al Kab was one of the most important and oldest cities of ancient Egypt, dedicated to the vulture goddess Nekhbet. The site is…

  • Aswan Dam

    Aswan

    Completed in 1902, the Aswan Dam was a feat of engineering for its time and the largest dam in the world, measuring 2441m across, 50m high and 30m wide…

  • Aswan High Dam

    Aswan

    Egypt's modern example of construction on a monumental scale, the controversial Aswan High Dam, 13km south of Aswan, contains 18 times the amount of…