How did the “Aswan” come to be?

In the past, Aswan was called the market or Svani-Svaneti. Later, the ancient Greeks called the area “Serene” because they couldn’t think of a better name for this busy city. Before the modern era, Aswan was a busy trading city on the edge of the known world for thousands of years. This connection between Egypt and Nubia helped make the city one of the richest in Africa. Ancient Egypt used Aswan as a commercial hub and a starting point for military missions because it was in a good spot.

The city was essential to the military and economy of the country because it was the southern entrance and capital of the country’s first Nome (province). The people in charge of the city had to fight off raids by hostile nearby tribes and foreign tyrants who wanted the city’s wealth.

Around the city of Aswan, there were granite quarries where fine and coarse grain sizes could be found. The quartz used to polish the stone came from the western desert and the so-called alabaster quarry north of Aswan. Iron ore in the eastern desert was used to mine red ocher, which was used to make paint. The biggest sandstone quarry in all of Egypt is in Silsilla, northern Egypt. Granite is mined in the area east of Aswan, and you can find them in the eastern desert south of Aswan. These old quarries have given us red, yellow, brown, and even dark grey granite. Some say that the 1st dynasty pharaoh Den was the first quarry manager. He built the floor of the cenotaph at Abydos, one block at a time.

 

The Obelisk is only half done.

During the process of cutting the stones, many of them were left unfinished at different points. In the northern quarry, you might find the enormous unfinished Obelisk. It is still attached to the rock the same way it was thousands of years ago. During the cutting process, cracks were found in the stone, which led to the final decision to scrap the project. It was also tried but failed to make smaller obelisks out of it. This Obelisk is entirely anonymous and gives no clues about who it was meant for. On the surface, only the marks of the workers can be seen. When finished, this Obelisk would have been 42 meters tall, weighed about 1,162 tonnes, and had a standard base width.

 

Nilometer

The historic Nilometer on one of the city’s islands may give you a great view of Aswan. This useful tool, which looks like a ladder on the riverbank and is made of stones that have been shaped in the same way, was made so that the highest, lowest, and average levels of the Nile could be recorded as the water rose and fell with the tides. In 1870, Khedive Ismail took care of the old Nilometer. The old building had been inactive for many years, but once a new scale was made and found, it was used again for what it was made for.

During the digs on the island of Elephantine, another older Nilometer was found from the 26th dynasty. The device is unique because it is not calibrated by how high the water is above the lowest mark but by how high the water is when it covers farmland at high tide.

 

To the islands of Aswan

Don’t miss the chance to see the big and small islands that surround Aswan when you go there. Taking a felucca from one of the ports along the Aswan shoreline is the easiest way to get there. But there are a few islands that you should pay special attention to because if you don’t go to them, your time in Aswan and Egypt will not be complete.

 

Elephantine

The Old Cataract Hotel is right across the street from the Elephantine, and its rooftop has a great view of the museum on the island (currently closed for renovations since the 2011 revolution). Elephantine Island is a must-see because it has many exciting things, like two ancient Nilometers and several temples. You don’t have to spend much money on a private felucca to get there, though, because a local ferry leaves the pier every five to ten minutes and only costs two to three pounds per person. People on Elephantine Island are Nubians, using this boat to get to and from their homes. Even though the trip is only five minutes long, it will give you a lasting impression of the area.

 

Philae Island

The next stop is Fila Island, which should not be missed. From the island dock, it takes about ten to fifteen minutes to drive to the city of Aswan and the Aswan High Dam. A few years ago, it cost 85 LE per person to take a speedboat from the pier to the island, no matter how many people were on board. The ride won’t last more than 15 minutes at most, but you’ll get to see some beautiful views of Lake Nasser in that time. The windy lake makes it essential to wear warm clothes in the winter. Remember that the boat that brought you to the island will only wait for you for up to two hours. Remember that you also have to give them £85 in baksheesh.

 

The Island of New Caledonia

With the new highway, people can get from Aswan, another excellent place to visit, to New Kalabsha in no time. The only people who usually go to this island are people on cruise ships that go around Lake Nasser, but getting it is easy because of Aswan.

The island is right in the shadow of the New Aswan Dam, which means that anyone with perfect eyesight can see it from the dam itself. You’ll need to take a speedboat from the pier to get to the island. You can get to the port by walking past the barrier and along the road to the police station. This is the only way you can get to the island. It’s best to leave for the island at an ungodly hour, when the sun isn’t at its brightest, so you can enjoy the trip. The speedboat ride costs about 100 Egyptian Pounds (LE), and the driver will wait as long as you want because tourists from Aswan don’t usually go to New Calabsha as they do to Fila.

Don’t let the island’s surface beauty fool you if you want to see the significant buildings it has to offer. At first glance, the island may look empty, but when you reach the island’s main temple, an Egyptian security guard will meet you and give you tickets.

The Beit al Wali Temple is easy to miss because it is only uphill and behind the main temple. Since you can’t see it from the main road, it’s easy to forget. Some of the most critical places on the island are the Kertassi Kiosk, the Garf Hussein Temple, the Dedwin Chapel, and the Beit al Wali Temple. All of these live on the island.

 

Gardens that are about plants

On the island, next to the Isis Hotel, is the Aswan Botanical Garden. It’s a good use of your time to go there in the afternoon and stroll for almost an hour under the cool shade of the trees. We stopped at the Botanic Garden on our trip.

 

Old and new dams in Aswan

Nubia and its ancient artifacts were flooded when the dam was built, but these two places are still worth visiting, even though a lot of ancient history was lost. On the same trip, you could see both the New Aswan Dam and the New Kalabsha island.

 

Ancient Egyptian tombs have been found through archaeology.

The tombs of the wealthy people of Aswan are cut into the stone on the city’s West Bank. Sabini and his father, Mehu, were buried during the 6th dynasty. Both Harkhuf’s tomb and the tomb of Pepi-Nakht tell about his early travels (also known as Hekaib). Expeditions were sent to an unexplored part of the Nile River’s upper reaches. Administrative skills and a pioneering spirit are discussed in the autobiographical elements of all the tombs.

Most people agree that the tomb of Sirenput I, the grandson of Sirenputt I, is one of the best kept from the Middle Kingdom. Sirenput I’s grandson, Sirenput II, was also buried in the Middle Kingdom.

 

The Nubia Museum is where people can learn about ancient African countries.

The Museum of Nubia is a must-see when you are in Aswan. At this exciting museum, you can learn about the ancient and modern traditions of the Nubian people, as well as their long-lost past. It is in a great spot next to the Old Cataract Hotel.

 

Abu Simbel’s City

So, a trip to Aswan would be incomplete if you didn’t see the beautiful Abu Simbel temples. One of the most talked about ancient Egyptian sites is the massive Abu Simbel Temple, built for Ramses II. Since the Italian Giovanni Belzoni saved it from the rising water of the Nile in 1817, the Sphinx has captivated everyone who has seen it. It is known worldwide because it kept people from the increasing Nile floods.

The Great Temple of Ramses II is the larger of Abu Simbel’s two temples. The smaller Temple of Nefertari was built to honor Ramses II’s beloved wife. Each one was cut out of a single piece of stone. Ramses II decided to make his temples about 280 kilometers south of Aswan.

The front of the temple is a copy of a tower carved into the rock, and above it is a frieze with baboons. The temple’s highest point is 32 meters above the plaza, 35 meters wide at the bottom, and  32 meters at the top. Four 20-meter-tall colossal statues of a young Ramses II sitting on thrones dominate the front of the building, and people have said they are about the same size as the broken granite colossus outside the Ramesseum.

Nefertari, also called Beautiful Companion, was Ramses II’s first wife, and she was also the concubine he loved the most. The temple to Nefertari and the goddess Hathor is north of the big temple that Ramses II built at Abu Simbel, and it is dedicated to both Nefertari and Hathor.