Aswan
Nubian cafe-restaurant set in a quiet garden on the west bank of the Nile, against the backdrop of a towering sand dune and near a popular swimming spot. When it's too hot or on colder evenings, you can also chill out in its beautifully painted indoor room. The food is simple but good, and beer is sometimes served.
The restaurant is now part of the Nubian Beach Hotel. You can swim from the nearby beach, or go sand boarding on desert dunes.
4.06 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…
0.75 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…
1.07 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…
0.51 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…
1.18 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
25.52 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,…
8.57 MILES
Kalabsha Temple is an impressive Ptolemaic and Roman structure, not unlike nearby Philae in its layout. The early 19th-century Swiss traveller Burckhardt …
1.42 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,…
0.26 MILES
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…
0.51 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…
0.62 MILES
The modern annexe of the museum has reopened with a delightful collection of objects, from weapons, pottery and utensils to statues, encased mummies and…
0.62 MILES
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…
0.63 MILES
Descending to the river’s edge from beneath a sycamore tree near the Aswan Museum is the Nilometer of the Satet Temple (plaque number 10). Built in late…
0.66 MILES
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.
0.74 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…
0.75 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…