Top 10 tourist attractions in Aswan

1- The Unfinished obelisk:

Located in Sheyakhah Oula, in the northern region of the stone quarries of ancient Egypt in Aswan, the unfinished obelisk is the largest known ancient obelisk. Its construction was ordered by Hatshepsut, the fifth pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt. She was the second historically-confirmed female pharaoh, the first being Sobekneferu.

The unfinished obelisk is nearly one-third larger than any ancient Egyptian obelisk ever erected. If finished it would have measured around 42 m (approximately 137 feet) and would have weighed nearly 1,090 metric tons (1,200 tons), a weight equal to about 200 African elephants.

2- The Nubian Museum:

Inaugurated in 1997, the International Museum of Nubia, was dedicated to Nubian culture and civilization. It was awarded the Aga Khan Award for Architecture in 2001, which is an architectural prize established by Aga Khan IV in 1977.

The building has three floors for displaying and housing, in addition to a library and information center. The largest part of the museum is occupied by the monumental pieces, reflecting phases of the development of Nubian culture and civilization.

3- Elephantine

Elephantine is an island on the Nile, forming part of the city of Aswan. There are several archaeological sites on the island.

The island is located just downstream of the First Cataract, at the southern border of Upper Egypt with Lower Nubia. This region above is referred to as Upper Egypt because it is further up the Nile.

The island may have received its name after its shape, which in aerial views is similar to that of an elephant tusk, or from the rounded rocks along the banks resembling elephants.

Elephantine was a fort that stood just before the first cataract of the Nile. During the Second Intermediate Period (1650–1550 BC), the fort marked the southern border of Egypt, according to Ian Shaw in Oxford History of Ancient Egypt.

4- El Nabatat Island

Geziret En Nabatat (Plant Island) or the Botanical Island is a small, oval-shaped island in the Nile at Aswan, it was previously known as Kitchener’s Island, named after Lord Kitchener who owned it as he was gifted the island, when he served as Consul-General in Egypt.

The island and gardens can be reached by felucca, a traditional wooden sailing boat, that reach the Southeastern side of the small island.

5- Mausoleum of Aga Khan

The Mausoleum of Aga Khan is the mausoleum of Aga Khan III, Sir Sultan Muhammed Shah, who died in 1957. The mausoleum is located at Aswan, along the Nile of Egypt, since Egypt was formerly the centre of power of the Fatimids. The mausoleum is built in the style of the Fatimid tombs in Cairo.
[Photo: Mausoleum of Aga Khan]

6- Philae

Philae is an island in the reservoir of the Aswan Low Dam, downstream of the Aswan Dam and Lake Nasser, Egypt. Philae was originally located near the expansive First Cataract of the Nile in Upper Egypt and was the site of an Egyptian temple complex.

The ancient Egyptian name of the smaller island meant “boundary”. As their southern frontier, the pharaohs of Egypt kept there a strong garrison, and it was also a barracks for Greek and Roman soldiers in their turn. The first temple structure, which was built by native pharaohs of the 30th dynasty, was the one for Hathor, a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion.

7- Agilkia Island

An island in the reservoir of the Old Aswan Dam along the Nile River in southern Egypt; it is the present site of the relocated Ancient Egyptian temple complex of Philae. Agilkia, like the island, was the name chosen for the planned landing site on a comet by the Rosetta spacecraft mission’s Philae lander.

8- El-Tabia Mosque

El-Tabia Mosque is a mosque in Aswan, Egypt. The mosque is surrounded by scenic gardens. Located amidst a park on a hill in the center of Aswan, It reveals a typical architecture of central-dome mosques having an arched entrance, flanked in this case by two minarets, and the prayer hall beneath a central dome.

9- Kom Ombo Temple

The Temple of Kom Ombo is an unusual double temple in the town of Kom Ombo in Aswan Governorate, Upper Egypt. It was constructed during the Ptolemaic dynasty, 180–47 BC. Some additions to it were later made during the Roman period.

10- Aswan Museum

Aswan Museum is a museum in Elephantine, located on the south-eastern side of Aswan, Egypt. It opened to the public in 1912. The museum features artefacts from Nubia, which were housed there during the construction of the Aswan Dam. In 1990, a new department was inaugurated displaying findings that were discovered on Elephantine island itself, such as utensils, weapons, pottery and mummies. The museum is situated close to the Ruins of Abu, where excavations are still taking place.

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