The Nubian city in southern Aswan Egypt. It is located on the eastern bank of the Nile River and is connected to Cairo by train, railway and domestic air stations. Its population is approximately 900 thousand people. The city of Aswan rises around 85 meters above sea level. It is 879 km away from Cairo, and its area is about 34,608 km2.

Aswan, Egypt A city steeped in history and culture, it is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. Aswan is located in the southern part of Egypt, on the eastern bank of the Nile River. It is a city that has been visited by tourists for centuries, and is famous for its amazing antiquities, beautiful scenery, and rich cultural heritage. In this post, I will take you on a journey through the history of Aswan, and show you some of the hidden gems that make this city a must-visit destination in Egypt.

Aswan City:

The city is also known as the Land of Gold because it served as a huge cemetery for the pharaohs and their treasures for thousands of years. The origins of Aswan are Nubians, who represent 30% of the citizens and speak their Nubian language. The rest are Arabs who came after the Islamic invasion and speak the Arabic language. We have created an entire blog about Nubian villages and culture.

Aswan’s history dates back to ancient times, when it was known as Swent, and was the gateway to the Nubian region. The city was a center for trade and commerce, and was an important center for transporting goods between Egypt and the rest of Africa. Aswan was also famous for its granite quarries, which provided the stone for many of Egypt’s most famous monuments, including the pyramids and the Sphinx.

In the modern era, Aswan has become a popular tourist destination, attracting visitors from all over the world. The city is famous for its many historical monuments, including the Temple of Philae, the unfinished obelisk, and the Aswan High Dam. These ruins are a testimony to the rich history and culture of the city, and are a must-visit destination for anyone interested in history and culture.

Aswan is a land of beauty and enchantment, and an icon of the Middle East. It is distinguished by its warm climate and rare plant islands. Around the city there are rocky Nile islands extending from the High Dam to the north of Edfu. Some of its residents say that the Nubian villages and islands depend on agriculture and handicrafts as a source of living, and some of them already hold government jobs.

Not only is the main city of Aswan, which enjoys full services, but also the surrounding islands are provided with hospitals, schools, and transportation. Some of the islands are not inhabited because they are considered archaeological areas, such as Crocodile Island and Elephant Island, which is an area that links the south and the north in trade between Egypt and the rest of Africa. Aswan is also the main gateway to southern Egypt next to the city of Luxor and a huge economic resource for the country.

Aswan History:

Aswan was known as “Sono” in ancient Egyptian times, which means market, as it was a commercial center for caravans coming to and from Nubia, and the Pharaohs used to transport pink and black granite stones and limestone all from Aswan to build their pyramids as a queen. Hatshepsut built her temple and obelisks.

The importance of this city began to appear since the era of the Old Kingdom when the Pharaohs wanted to ensure the safety of the southern borders of the kingdom. It was also the center of the military army and played a special base during the war against the Hyksos. During the Roman era, temples of ancient Egyptian design were built.

While the Romans were very impressed with Egyptian mythology and gods, Emperor Trajan built a small temple in order to get closer to the Egyptian people on the island of Philae where the Temple of Isis was located. Philae derived its name from the Greek word philo, which means love or love, in reference to the temple dedicated to commemorating a wife’s true love for her husband, who was betrayed by his brother Set, the god of evil.

Then in the early Christian era, Christianity spread throughout the country in the fifth century, and temples were transformed into churches. Then came Islamic innovation and Aswan became a very important educational center and three madrasas were established in the 6th and 7th centuries.

Explore the Natural Beauty of Aswan : From the Nile to the Desert 

Aswan is a city full of amazing attractions worth visiting. One of the most important attractions in Aswan is the Abu Simbel Temples, which are two huge rock temples that were built during the reign of Pharaoh Ramesses II. Another important tourist attraction in Aswan is the Temple of Philae, an ancient temple dedicated to the goddess Isis. The temple was moved to its current location on Agilkia Island after the construction of the Aswan High Dam. Other top attractions in Aswan include the Nubian Museum, Aswan Dam, and Aswan Botanical Garden.

The Upper Dam:

This is a large pool below the upper dam and is stocked with landlocked salmon and trout. It was the home of Carrie Stevens, her gray ghost fly, and other famous signs and legends.

 The upper dam pool Is often the first place a fly angler visits when they arrive in the Rangeley area. It’s the place everyone has heard of, mostly because of Carrie Stevens and her famous fly. Sometimes I wonder how many thousands of people stood along the pool shore and moved the Gray Ghost striper through the current.

The pool is very spacious with a strong current down the center of the pool creating two large back whirlpools and space for dozens of anglers to catch fish. There are many big fish in the pool, and sometimes you can see them in the water at the base of the dam. Streamers are often caught in big current and dry along quiet seams and ledges. Blue-winged olives seem to always be in the air, and small, fledgling nymphs are a good way to fish the olive hatch.

A good way to “cover all the bases” is to catch a streamer or a large dry fish using a small mayfly nymph as a dropper. The pool is also a very nice place for fishing with good views, rustic buildings and wildlife. If you walk across the dyke and follow the portage path, you will come to Carrie Stevens’ house where she lived and ran her aviation business.

The Princess Ferial Park:

Gardens and parks are the beating heart of any healthy city. This fact simply cannot be overstated, whether it has historical significance or not. Faryal Park in Port Said embodies the first while serving as a role model for public parks in Egypt.

The park was named after Princess Ferial, the eldest daughter of King Farouk, and was opened in 1869 on the opening day of the Suez Canal. Due to its proximity to the global trade waterway, the park has hosted countless world leaders including Empress Eugenie of France and Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria.

The park overlooks the Suez Canal, and is located at the meeting point of the city’s main streets. A meeting point for the city which in turn provides a unique viewpoint.

The West Suhail area:

West Suhail, a Nubian village located on the west bank of the Nile River, a few kilometers from the Aswan Dam, and about 900 kilometers west of Cairo. The village, which has been offering visitors unique and exceptional hospitality for years, never fails to captivate the heart and mind. It offers a true Nubian life experience that fills the hearts of all attendees with so much excitement. 

The village is typically Nubian and contains more than 50 small blue and white houses

With its beautifully cut yellow wooden windows and green and brown doors, it fills the skyline. Above them, rays of red and orange light radiate from the moon. The village gives its visitors the feeling of being at home away from the artificial nature of hotel life.

Inside the village’s one-story houses, tourists have a thoroughly Nubian time. During a few days in the village, they sleep in the homes of the Nubian residents, eat their food and drink local drinks. 

Most of the village houses are divided into two parts, one for making Nubian products, such as handmade hats and dresses, the Nubian hibiscus drink as well as locally made peanuts.

Kom Ombo Temple:

The Temple of Kom Ombo was built 180 years ago (BC) by the Ptolemaic Dynasty during the Roman invasion. What distinguishes the Temple of Kom Ombo is that it is located directly on the riverbank between Edfu and Aswan, making it a wonderful stop on the Nile. Cruises and the most prominent tourist attractions in Aswan. The temple is honest to two gods, Sobek the crocodile god and Haroeris (the hawk god Horus). It is strange for any Egyptian temple to be created for two gods, it is unusual for there to be double devotion. The travel agency to Egypt has already provided tourist tours in Egypt, including visits to the Kom Ombo Temple

It is a double temple on each side dedicated to one god, Sobek and Horus. The buildings of the two sanctuaries are completely identical, and they are almost two temples, and they are connected by similar corridors that lead to the external parts of the temple. Some renovations were made later, such as the hypostyle hall added by Ptolemy VII (51-47 BC), and during the reign of Emperor Trajan (53-117 AD), the front courtyard, outer walls, and entrance gate to the temple were added. The complex was supposedly built by Ptolemy XII, Cleopatra’s father. The walls of the temple are painted with scenes of repeated sacrifices to the gods by the Ptolemaic pharaohs.

The Twin Temple of Abu Simbel

Ramesses the Great is believed to have built many megalithic temples in Nubia: the area along the Nile River between Aswan and Sudan.

Abu Simbel was the most fantastic and remained unnamed to the rest of the world until J.J. Burckhardt “discovered” the top of the temple in 1813. It was Giovanni Battista Belzoni who discovered the entrance from centuries’ worth of sand in 1817.

The temple was originally called Hot Ramesses Mariamun, meaning “Temple of Ramses Beloved of Amun,” and took more than two decades to complete. While the main temple is dedicated to Amun-Ra, its massive façade is dominated by the likeness of the pharaoh. Four 67-foot-tall statues of the king — two on either side of the entrance — are carved directly into the rock face of the cliff.

Between the pharaoh’s legs are carved statues of members of his family including his favorite wife, Nefertari, Mother Motoya (wife of Seti I), and several princes and princesses.

As for the second statue, it was damaged in an earthquake, and its upside-down head is located exactly as it was found in its original location. Above the entrance is a striking figure of the sun god Ra with the head of a falcon. Above is a frieze of baboons loving the sunrise.

Some of the areas located on the banks of the Nile River in Aswan constitute an attraction point for tourists who visit the city to practice the hobby of swimming. Despite the depth of the water along the course of the river, parts of it are suitable for swimming and sailing boats as well, as well as traveling to visit the islands of plants, museums and temples located on the islands. Like the middle of the river

• The Temple of Philae
• Elephantine island