The city of Aswan - Aswan sights

The city of Aswan - Aswan sights

No city in Egypt is more enchanting than Aswan. Aswan is an Egyptian city on the east bank of the Nile.

It is the capital of the government named after it, Aswan, located about 13 kilometers to the north of the large Lake Nasser.

With a current population of approximately 280,000, it is one of the largest cities in Upper Egypt.

The city center stretches along the eastern bank of the Nile. Numerous hotels for tourists from all over the world line the Corniche, the river promenade.

The cityscape is constantly changing

Due to continued population growth, new blocks of flats and housing estates were built at the northern, eastern and southern ends of the city, so that the city now extends over parts of the eastern hills.

Little remains of the historic old town. The construction boom is incompatible with preserving the beautiful landscape. The countless power lines and pylons also demonstrate that the industrial age has long since arrived in Aswan.

A significant economic factor in the region is the Aswan High Dam, located approximately 13 kilometers south of the city center. Built between 1960 and 1970, the dam is one of the largest in the world.

Its opening on January 15, 1971 was celebrated with great festivities.

The water stored in Lake Nasser serves for year-round irrigation of the fields and the regulation of the water level of the Egyptian Nile. The electricity generated by the turbines of the High Dam is one of the country's most important energy sources. The construction of the High Dam triggered rapid economic development in this once remote region. Numerous companies and industries have established themselves here, and trade has also become increasingly important.

Aswan is a university city with various higher education institutions.

There is an international airport in the south, outside the city.

Numerous Nubians live in parts of the city and the surrounding area, as well as on Elephantine Island. As early as the time of Pharaonic Egypt, Aswan was the country's southern border city. South of it lay Nubian territory. From Aswan, river expeditions set out into the interior of Africa as early as the Old Kingdom, in search of ivory, gold, and exotic goods.

The desert dunes reach all the way to the banks of the Nile. Heavy granite boulders form a unique river landscape with many islands and tributaries.

The white sails of the feluccas gleam in the sunlight. There are many sights to see around Aswan, from Elephantine Island to the Philae Temple and the Great Aswan Dam.

Top sights in Aswan:

Philae Temple - Aswan Sightseeing

The Philae Temple is clearly one of the top sights in Aswan.

The name of the island Philae (Latin), Philai (Greek), Pilak (Coptic), Bilaq (Arabic) goes back to the Egyptian P3-jw-rk (pronounced: Pa-ju-rek or Pajulek), which means something like Island of Time, although this is probably a late Egyptian pseudoetymological interpretation of the old Nubian name.

For a long time, the temples of Philae were among the best preserved in Egypt.

The situation changed when the Aswan High Dam was built just two kilometers to the north between 1898 and 1902. The water level of the impounded Nile rose rapidly, and Philae Island was soon submerged. Only the upper half of the temple structures remained above water. With each increase in the dam's height, the temple complex sank further into the Nile. The base of the complex became silted up.

When construction began on the new, massive Sadd el-Ali dam in the 1960s, the preservation of the Philae temples was definitively jeopardized. The dilemma became particularly evident after its inauguration in 1971. Philae Island lies in the intermediate reservoir, directly between the old and new dams. To efficiently utilize the hydroelectric power plants built at the dam, the water level in the intermediate reservoir fluctuated frequently. This rapid alternation between being dry and submerged posed a significant threat to the structural integrity of the temples. There was only one solution to save Philae: as with the temples of Kalabsha and Abu Simbel, the temples had to be relocated. UNESCO, as with the rescue of the other Nubian sanctuaries, assumed patronage of the project and provided financial assistance.

In 1972, concrete planning began in international collaboration. Numerous plans were submitted. One proposal suggested permanently damming the river with high dikes or raising the island. Another plan came from the American businessman and banker J.P. Morgan. He proposed dismantling the temples and rebuilding them in the USA. He also offered to sponsor the project. Ultimately, an Egyptian plan was chosen, which involved relocating the temples to the neighboring island of Angílkia, located approximately 600 meters to the northwest. Angílkia lies about 13 meters higher above sea level and has a similar shape to Philae, but is slightly smaller. Furthermore, parts of the rugged and rocky island of Angílkia had to be leveled to create a building site and preserve the temple.

Practical preparatory work began in 1972. To dismantle the main structures stone by stone, the temple complex had to be drained. To achieve this, the structures were first enclosed with a cofferdam. 4,500 tons of steel rails were installed in the sheet pile wall of the dam. Finally, the water was pumped out via Philae. After the temple site had completely dried and been cleaned, a structural inventory was taken. Dismantling began in 1977.

Each stone block and every building element had to be marked with position markers to ensure a faithful reconstruction later on. Numerous large blocks had to be sawn into pieces. In total, there were slightly more than 37,000 blocks and building elements. The lightest weighed two tons, the largest up to 25 tons. To loosen the building elements and foundation blocks, more than 22,000 tons of mud had to be moved. The stones were initially stored near Shellal on the east bank of the Nile. Then they were transported to the island of Angílkia.

Some disappointments remain. The Temple of Augustus, Diocletian's Gate, and the two Coptic basilicas were not saved. They lie at the bottom of the lake. Furthermore, for reasons of cost-saving, the deeper foundations of the temples were not salvaged. These could have revealed further information about the history of the temples and their predecessors, information that is now lost forever.

Unfinished Obelisk: Aswan Sightseeing

The unfinished obelisk is considered an attraction in the quarries near Aswan.

The unfinished obelisk in the city of Aswan is an unfinished obelisk made of rose granite.

It is located in a pit in the northern area of ​​the ancient Egyptian quarries in and around Aswan, about one kilometer from the Nile.

With a height of 41.75 meters on a base of 4.2 × 4.2 meters and a weight of 1168 tons, this obelisk would have been the largest obelisk of antiquity upon completion.

It can still be visited today.

Elephantine Island: Aswan Sights

Elephantine Island is an idyllic island in the Nile.

The picturesque rocky island of Elephantine, near the city of Aswan, is an archaeological gem of southern Egypt.

Nowhere else in Egypt could the millennia-old settlement history of an ancient city as well as the origin and development history of sanctuaries and temples from the time of the pharaohs be better documented than on this Nile island.

The southern half of Elephantine Island is like an open-air museum, giving us a unique glimpse into the history of an ancient city.

The extensive traces of settlement and ruins include a wide range of different building remains such as temple complexes, commercial buildings, storage buildings, residential quarters, roads, city fortifications, gate buildings, administrative buildings, quays, burial grounds, two Nilometers and even a small pyramid from the Old Kingdom.

From the Late Period, sparse remains of a Jewish-Aramaic temple could be identified, and from the Byzantine Period, remains of Coptic church buildings.

North of the excavation site lie two Nubian villages, some of whose houses were still built in the traditional style using mud bricks.

The island stretches over a length of 1200 meters and is about 400 meters wide in the middle.

The shape of Elephantine Island has changed over the millennia.

In fact, Elephantine initially consisted of several small islands, which grew together partly through natural sedimentation and partly through artificial land reclamation.

Nubian Museum: Aswan Sights

The Nubian Museum offers insights into the culture of the Nubians.

The Nubian Museum is an archaeological museum in Aswan; it was opened in 1997 through the cooperation of UNESCO and the Egyptian government.

The museum houses truly unique finds, ranging from prehistory to the Pharaonic period, and covering the history of Christianity in Egypt, the Islamic conquest, and the construction of the High Dam in the 1960s. Some of Nubia's most important monuments were relocated to neighboring areas, such as the Abu Simbel temples and the Philae Temple in Aswan.

This small but exquisite museum houses many examples of local art and recreates various moments of Nubian life. It's truly exciting to see these scenes of everyday life with traditional houses salvaged from currently submerged areas and masterfully reconstructed.

The museum contains very important exhibits that reflect the skills of the ancient Egyptians in many areas. Among the artifacts is the statue of Ramses II.

Fatimid Cemetery: Aswan Sights

The Fatimid cemetery is located near the Nubian Museum.

One of the largest Islamic necropolises from the 7th to 11th centuries is the Fatimid Cemetery.

The Fatimids ruled North Africa from 969 to 1169 AD.

The Fatimid necropolis site was once 2000 meters long in an east-west direction and 500 meters wide in a north-south direction.

Used as a granite and sandstone quarry in Pharaonic times and in antiquity.

The imaginative domed tombs made of mud bricks were long left to decay, but are now being restored.

The cemetery is still used today to bury the deceased.

Aswan Dam - Aswan Sights

Also called the Aswan High Dam

It is located in southern Egypt, about 13 kilometers upstream from the city of Aswan, and dams the Nile to form Lake Nasser.

The reservoir has a capacity of approximately 135-169 cubic kilometers of water.

The Aswan Dam, together with the Asyt Dam, which was also completed in 1902, served to supply large areas of Egyptian agriculture with water even outside of the Nile flood.

The Egyptians celebrate their Aswan High Dam as a modern wonder of the world, as the pyramid construction of the 20th century. The project has permanently changed the Nile landscape of Egypt.

For millennia, the Egyptian landscape of the Nile valley and delta was shaped by the rhythm of the annual Nile floods, triggered by the rainy season in the highlands of Abyssinia. After each Nile flood, nitrogen- and phosphate-rich river silt was deposited on the fields of the floodplain. The dark, fertile soil along the banks of the Nile is the result of countless Nile floods over the past millennia. If the floods were too low, famines ensued. If they were too high, catastrophic floods with devastating consequences occurred.

To mitigate the extremes, repeated attempts were made to tame the river with dams and dikes. At the end of the 19th century, Egypt faced the problem that modernizing the country with roads and industrial infrastructure was impossible as long as the seasonal Nile floods submerged entire cities and vital transport routes.

In antiquity and the Middle Ages, the river was the country's most important transport artery. But in the age of roads and railways, the Nile floods became an obstacle. Only radical control of the river by means of a large dam could solve this problem. Furthermore, it was thought that agricultural production could be increased by being able to sow and harvest several times a year, independent of the Nile's flow.

The first attempt was the construction of a large dam about seven kilometers south of Aswan. This dam was completed in 1902. However, it was no longer sufficient to meet the needs of a rapidly growing population and economy, which also required a supply of electricity and energy.

Its regulatory effect was too small. And so a new high dam was planned. One of the world's largest reservoir projects was to be realized.

Dimensions of the Aswan Dam:

1965 Length

Originally 21.5 meters high and 7 meters wide.

Over the years, it was raised twice, most recently in 1929-1934 to 35.5 meters.

Beit el-Wati Rock Temple - Aswan Sights

The rock temple of Ramses II

It is an ancient Egyptian rock temple from the time of the Old Kingdom in Lower Nubia, Egypt.

Beit el-Wati refers to a place where King Ramses II had a rock temple built.

King Ramses II had the temple built during the 19th Dynasty in the 13th century BC.

Like many other temples, it served a cultic purpose, that is, the worship of certain gods.

It was built for the gods:

Amun-Re, Re-Harachte, Khnum, Anuket and himself of Ramses II.

In connection with the construction of the Aswan Dam and the associated flooding of the former site, the temple was sawn into its individual parts and dismantled.

Reconstruction is taking place on the island.

Neu-Kalabscha, about one kilometer southwest of the city wall Hochdamm.

The temple's vestibule now lies open in front of the rock sanctuary, but was originally covered by a 6 m wide barrel vault made of Nile mud bricks.

However, only the lower parts of the stone side walls were preserved at the time of discovery. The walls are decorated with numerous historical relief carvings.

The depictions on the left wall recount the campaigns in Kush and Nubia and the tribute offered by the African tribes. These tributes include typical animals of the African savanna such as gazelles, leopards, lions, as well as an ostrich and a giraffe. The king is shown charging towards the enemy in his chariot, and Nubians fleeing to their village.

The right-hand wall depicts the military expeditions to Syria and Libya. Among other things, it shows the storming of a fortress-like Syrian city. Here, too, the pharaoh is shown as a military commander in action, once on his chariot, once seizing enemies by the hair. His son is shown several times, presenting prisoners to his father.

From the now open vestibule, one enters a transverse hall, which is already carved into the bedrock. The wall reliefs, some of which are still painted, depict the king before various gods. In two small niches stand figures of Ramses II between Isis and Horus, and between the ram-headed god Khnum and the goddess Anuket.

St. Simeon's Monastery near Aswan - Aswan Sights

The ruins of a 6th-century Coptic monastery are known as Simeon's Monastery or Monastery of Saint Simeon.

Built in 571.

On the other side of the Nile, opposite the city of Aswan and Elephantine Island, just a short walk from the Mausoleum of the Aga Khan, lies the Coptic Monastery of Saint Simeon.

On the one hand, there is a modern monastery with ongoing monastic life. On the other hand, to the north of it are the famous ruins of late antiquity and the medieval monastery fortress.

The Coptic monastery was founded in the 7th century.

Most of the buildings date from the High Middle Ages. The complex was abandoned and the monastic activity ceased in the 13th century.

The alleged reason was the difficulty of obtaining water. However, Bedouin raids also plagued the monastery. Although the monastery walls were fortified, in the event of a prolonged siege, there was no reliable water supply if the route to the Nile was cut off. The complex extends over two levels, a result of the natural terracing of the rocky landscape.

The walled monastery complex is entered through the fortified tower entrance in the east. This entrance leads to the courtyard of the lower monastery level.

The lower level is dominated by the ruins of the large monastery church, a three-aisled basilica with some preserved frescoes. In the apse are remnants of a once-large fresco depicting Christ among angels. Behind the monastery church is a rock chapel with ceiling patterns dating from the 8th century.

A staircase leads to the upper level of the monastery complex. Here, the fortress-like residential building of the former monks rises up, with its dormitory (cell corridor to the individual sleeping quarters of the monks) and the large refectory with the monastery kitchen.

The southern building complex of the upper level consists of various utility rooms such as the bakery, the oil press, the wine press, the grain mill, the stables, the water treatment plant, and the many magazines and storage rooms.

Sehelnarti Island on the Nile - Aswan Sights

About three kilometers south of Aswan, in the area of ​​the former cataract, lies the island of Sehelnarti, also known simply as "Sehel" after one of its villages. The remote Nile island of Sehel is an archaeological gem.

What makes this Nile island special are the many hundreds of inscriptions and stone drawings on the large granite rocks.

More than 250 inscriptions have been found. Some rocks are decorated with depictions of gods. Most often, the main deities of Elephantine are depicted: the ram-headed creator god Khnum, the Nile source goddess Satet, and her daughter Anuket.

In ancient Egyptian times, many travelers on expeditions to Nubia and Kush stopped here and left an inscription before sailing on to the regions of Sudan. In antiquity, Sehel Island, along with Elephantine, was one of the last outposts of ancient Egypt before the inner African "foreign territory" began south of the First Cataract. Viziers, viceroys, generals, high-ranking military officials, and expedition leaders left their stone mark here.

The most famous and interesting rock inscription on the island of Sehel is the so-called Famine Stele from the 3rd century BC. It is an inscription from the Ptolemaic period that deceptively claims to be much older, namely from the time of Djoser (2700 BC).

The image depicts King Djoser offering sacrifices to the triad of gods Khnum, Satet, and Anuket. The main text begins with the date: the 19th year of King Djoser's reign (Horus Netjerichet). This is followed by a magnificent, lengthy inscription recounting severe droughts and a great famine that supposedly plagued the land for seven years. King Djoser is said to have then had a dream in which the god Khnum appeared to him, whereupon the king granted this god endowments and lands in the surrounding area, including the rights to the local mineral resources and agricultural products.

These donations from the king to the god Khnum were said to have finally put an end to the hardship.

The parallels to the biblical story of Joseph are interesting and exciting.

It is likely that Pharaoh Ptolemy IV (221 – 205 BC) had this inscription placed here to substantiate an allegedly ancient claim by the priesthood of the temples of Elephantine (Temple of Khnum and Satet) to the so-called "Twelve Mile Land" at the First Cataract with a historical justification.

Mausoleum of Aga Khan III, Aswan Sights

The tomb of the Aga Khan

Above the river valley, on a hill on the eastern bank of the Nile, stands the still clearly visible mausoleum of Aga Khan III.

Aga Khan spent the winter months in Aswan until his death in 1957 due to a rheumatic disease.

After his death, his French wife had this mausoleum built for her husband on a hilltop on the west bank of the Nile.

The wife brought a rose to the mausoleum every morning, and she did this until her own death.

Sir Sultan Mohammed Shah

 *1877 +1957 

Aga Khan III, also known as Aga Khan III, was a religious leader of the Ismaili sect of the Hodjas (Khojas, also called Nizaris).

He was the 48th Imam, following in his father's footsteps.

The Ismailis are a Shiite Islamic religious community with several million followers in the Middle East and India. The title or honorific "Aga Khan" was bestowed upon Hassan Ali Shah, the then-leader of the Ismailis, by the Shah of Iran in the early 19th century.

He belonged to the jet set of the time, to the high society of the aristocratic houses, and moved in circles with the heads of state, royalty, and social elites of Europe. He was married several times and had residences worldwide, but lived mainly in Great Britain and India, where he also owned a palace.

.Qubbet el-Hawa - Aswan Sehnswürdigkeiten

Opposite Aswan, on the eastern side of the Nile Valley at a bend in the river, rises a high sandy hill with a small mausoleum on its summit. The entrances to many tombs from the Pharaonic period can be seen on its slopes.

Four thousand years ago, the governors and high officials of Aswan and Elephantine were buried here.

“Hill of the Wind” is the meaning of the Arabic name “Qubbet el-Hawa”, which the northern hill opposite Aswan bears.

At the top of the hill, a small white mausoleum of the Muslim Sheikh Sidi Ali Bin el-Hawa ("Lord Ali, the son of the wind") stands visible from afar.

On the slope of Qubbet el-Hawa, numerous magnificent tombs of princes, provincial governors and high officials of Aswan and Elephantine were hewn into the bedrock during the Old and Middle Kingdoms.

Furthermore, the ruins of the old Coptic St. George Monastery still stand halfway up.

From the summit of Qubbet el-Hawa, there is a breathtaking view over the Nile landscape of Aswan.

The burial sites are distributed across three terrace levels.

Most are closed for reasons of historic preservation. However, the most important and beautiful ones are regularly opened to tourists.

The rock-cut tombs are not only interesting from an architectural and historical perspective. Many contain tomb inscriptions with biographical information about the individuals buried there.

Because the rapids landscape of the first cataract begins at Aswan and Elephantine, this region was the natural southern border of Egypt during the time of the pharaohs and the starting point for expeditions into the inhospitable Sudan.

The most important and worthwhile tombs are the following:

Grab des Sarenput II. 

The most impressive tomb complex and the pinnacle of tomb architecture on Qubbet el-Hawa belongs to Sarenput II Nebkaure-Nacht, son of Satethotep.

He was the local governor around 1900 BC during the reign of King Amenemhet II (Middle Kingdom, 12th Dynasty). The tomb is strictly axially oriented. Coming from the forecourt, one passes through the tomb entrance into a rectangular and decorated entrance hall with six pillars. A short flight of stairs then leads to a long, narrow corridor with a slightly vaulted ceiling and niches containing statues of Osiris mummies. Finally, one reaches a small, square cult chamber with four pillars.

The chamber is decorated with beautiful paintings and hieroglyphic texts. In the center, the tomb owner Sarenput II is depicted seated before the offering table.

Grab des Heqaib II. Pepi-Nacht. 

Directly adjacent to the tomb of Haqaib II Pepinakht, or rather adjoining its forecourt, lies the tomb of Sabni II, which also dates from the late Old Kingdom. Thus, both tombs can be visited together. Some of the tomb decoration is still quite well preserved.

Grab des Sarenput I. 

Sarenput I, son of Sat-Tjeni, was governor of Elephantine and a loyal royal follower under Pharaoh Sesostris I (12th Dynasty, Middle Kingdom, around 1950 BC). During his tenure, the chapel-sanctuary of Heqaib Pepi-Nacht was built on Elephantine and furnished with shrines and statues. He had his titles and dignities, official duties, and religious endowments recorded in numerous inscriptions in his tomb on Qubbet el-Hawa and in the Heqaib's sanctuary. Among other things, his tomb contains a noteworthy appeal to visitors:

"Oh, living ones on earth,

Those passing by this grave, traveling north and south, should, as your gods love you, offer a prayer of thanks and sacrifices to the dead for the Ka (soul) of the esteemed Mayor Sarenput.

As with the royal tombs of that era, Sarenput's tomb complex once included a valley-like structure, from which a staircase, parts of which are still preserved today, leads to the rectangular forecourt. Standing in the forecourt, one looks upon the reddish sandstone facade of the tomb.

It is richly decorated. Long inscriptions are placed around the entrance door.

On the facade wall to the left of the door, the grave owner can be seen in a standing pose, followed by the sandal-wearer and two dogs.

Further to the left, in the lower register, Sarenput can be seen in a boat fishing with a spear, and in the register above, the tomb owner inspecting cattle.

To the right of the entrance door, Sarenput is depicted accompanied by a bowman, a dog, and three sons.

Further to the right, in the upper register, you can see three women with flowers, and in the register below, two men and a woman playing a board game.

In front of the glass facade stand six partially preserved pillars that once supported the portico's roof. Upon entering the tomb, one first arrives in a hall with four pillars. A narrow passage then leads to another small hall containing a cult niche for the veneration of the deceased. The depictions inside the tomb are poorly preserved.

Double tomb of Mechu and Sabni

Dating from the Old Kingdom, 6th Dynasty, around 2300 BC, is the curious double tomb of Mechu and Sabni, father and son. It is located at the southern end of the middle terrace.

Two separate paths lead from the Nile to the two adjacent courtyards and entrances. However, upon entering each tomb, one discovers that the entrance hall is connected, despite the different interior architecture.

The inscription on the exterior facade at Sabni is worth mentioning.

The text reports on a rescue or search expedition undertaken by the son to recover the body of his father, who died during a trading voyage to Nubia, so that he could be buried in his homeland among his family.

Grab des Herchuf

The most spectacular biographical tomb inscription is located on the facade of Herkhuf's tomb. Around 2200 BC (Old Kingdom, 6th Dynasty), he was a high-ranking official and, at the end of his career, even governor of Upper Egypt. During the reigns of Kings Merenre and Pepi II, he led several trade and exploration expeditions to Nubia, the land of Yam, and the region of the southern Libyan nomadic tribes. On the facade of his tomb, on both sides of the entrance, is an account of his sometimes adventurous expeditions. He brought back ebony, frankincense, ivory, exotic animal hides, and, on one occasion, a dwarf—likely a pygmy—to the royal residence in Egypt, traveling along various routes. The king was particularly taken with the peculiar dwarf and ordered him to be closely guarded to ensure his safety. Furthermore, the accounts are also an excellent example of the ancient Egyptian ideal biography, which emphasizes how much the tomb owner was a just person who cared for the poor and needy during his lifetime, clothed the naked, gave bread to the hungry, ferried the boatless across the river, and was therefore respected in the family and society and enjoyed the favor of the king at court.

Lord Kitchener Island - Aswan Sightseeing

Lord Kitchener Island is a small green river island in the Nile

The island was named after Haratio Herbert Kitchener.

*1850 +1916 

He had been sent to Egypt as a field marshal to restructure the Egyptian army and to put down the uprising of the infamous Mahdi in Sudan.

The island extends 650 meters in length and 115 meters in width.

The Botanical Garden of the city of Aswan is located on it.

There are no archaeological monuments here; the shore is paved with stones and looks very unnatural.

Kitchener planted the island with flowers and trees from Africa and Asia.

The island remained in his possession until his death.

Later it became the property of the Egyptian government.