The Ancient Syene

Aswan is one of the sunniest cities in Egypt ! It's located about 80 miles south of Luxor , and has a more African ambience than other cities in Egypt . Life here is slow paced and relaxed, and its setting on the Nile is gorgeous. Boats sail by gracefully, and floating restaurants offer rhythmic Nubian music and delicious fresh fish.

The Nile in Aswan is at its best, flowing gently around bright green islands adorned with tropical foliage. The local souk (market) is filled with the exotic scents of spices and perfumes. Handmade baskets are piled high in the market, alongside handmade scarves. The bazaar in Aswan is especially large, and continues past the Fair Gardens , the Nubian Museum and down to the cemetery.

Today visitors enjoy visiting the Aswan Dam and the Aswan High Dam. The latter was completed in 1968, resulting in an artificial lake called Lake Nasser . Unfortunately, damming the water result in major floods, inundating many villages along the Nile . Realizing the historical value of the monuments located there, worldwide rescue efforts were undertaken to save some of the most important temples and artifacts from the flooding.

One of the temples saved from submersion in Lake Nasser was the beautiful Temple of Isis . Ancient Egyptians believed Isis to be the goddess of fertility and motherhood, having great magical skills. She was represented as having a human form, though with the horns of a cow in place of ears. It was believed that the temple sanctuary, the Holy of Holies, was the source from where the waters of life originated.

Nearby, is the famous Unfinished Obelisk, which was built from red granite, and still lies where it was abandoned. If it had ever been finished, it would have dwarfed all other obelisks at 137 feet tall, weighing in at 1,168 tons. A very deep fissure was found near the obelisk's center, and the project was abandoned. The tools found there, left by the discouraged builders, have given scientists great insight into how this work was carried out.

“The Aswan Obelisk enables the visitor to look with different eyes on the finished monuments, and to realize…the heartbreaking failures which must have sometimes driven the old engineers to the verge of despair before a perfect monument could be presented by the king to his god.”
Reginald Engelbach
English archeologist

The Mausoleum of Aga Khan is also found here. Built in the 1950's, this elegant structure of pink granite honors the spiritual leader of the Ismailis, a Shiite sect. The Aga Khan was quite wealthy, and on his birthday in 1945, he distributed his weight in diamonds among his followers. His white marble coffin rests in the Mausoleum, which is open to the public.

Finally, for those interested in experiencing local culture, the Cultural Center, just off the main thoroughfare in Aswan, houses colorful Nubian shows. Every night, Nubian dancers and musicians in their native costumes recreate scenes from village life and perform the famous Nubian mock stick-fight dances.