Aswan
This modern hotel on the west side of the Nile overlooking the desert and the Tomb of the Nobles is a great find, offering quiet, clean and comfortable rooms. The hotel boasts a wonderful rooftop terrace overlooking the Nile and Nubian village, and the staff is both friendly and proud to be Nubian.
Call ahead and Shaaban will come to fetch you or give you directions. The restaurant serves delicious meals (breakfast €5, lunch €7 and dinner €10).
5.36 MILES
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…
1.6 MILES
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…
0.53 MILES
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…
1.36 MILES
The evocative ruins of ancient Abu and the Aswan Museum (partially closed for renovation) lie at Elephantine Island's southern tip. Numbered plaques and…
1.8 MILES
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 & Crocodile Museum
24.13 MILES
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,…
10.01 MILES
Kalabsha Temple is an impressive Ptolemaic and Roman structure, not unlike nearby Philae in its layout. The early 19th-century Swiss traveller Burckhardt …
0.15 MILES
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,…
0.06 MILES
Isolated in the desert to the west of the Tombs of the Nobles is the ancient Western Quarry, where stone for many ancient monuments – possibly including…
0.15 MILES
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,…
0.53 MILES
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…
0.72 MILES
Starting from the southern end, Sharia As Souq appears very much like the tourist bazaars all over Egypt, with slightly less persistent traders than…
0.77 MILES
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,…
0.97 MILES
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…
1.08 MILES
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…
1.14 MILES
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…