Aswan: The Dam, the Temples, and the Nubian South

Aswan is the southernmost major city in Egypt, 889km from Cairo by road and significantly different in character. The climate is drier and hotter; the Nile narrows here between granite boulders; the architecture shows Nubian influence; and the pace is slower than Cairo or Luxor. The Aswan High Dam is the reason many visitors come but it is the least interesting of the city’s actual attractions.

The Aswan High Dam

The High Dam (As-Sadd al-‘Ali) was built between 1960 and 1970 with Soviet technical and financial assistance, creating Lake Nasser behind it - 550km long, one of the largest artificial lakes in the world. The dam is 111 metres high and 3.8km wide. Entry requires paying around EGP 50-80 per person; the dam can be crossed on foot or by vehicle, looking north to the older Low Dam (1902) and south over Lake Nasser.

The main structure is impressive at scale but not particularly engaging as a visit. The Soviet-Egyptian Friendship Monument (a stylized lotus flower) at the east end is worth noting as a Cold War artifact. Most visitors spend 30-45 minutes here and move on.

Philae Temple

Built on Agilkia Island, the Philae complex was dismantled stone by stone and relocated between 1972 and 1980 because the original Philae Island was submerged by the Low Dam in 1902. The UNESCO-coordinated operation used the same methodology as Abu Simbel.

The main temple honours Isis and was built through the Ptolemaic period (305-30 BC) with Roman additions. The First Pylon is the entry: two towers covered in relief carving. The Hypostyle Hall inside retains colour in the column capitals. The Kiosk of Trajan - an open colonnade on the island’s southern tip - appears in almost every photograph of the site: its 14 columns with flower-bud capitals stand against the Nile with no other structure nearby.

Access: small motorboat from the Shellal landing 5km south of Aswan (EGP 60-80 per person return, boats run continuously). Entry around EGP 220. Open 07:00-17:00. The Sound and Light Show runs three times nightly.

Abu Simbel

220km south of Aswan, Abu Simbel is technically not part of an Aswan visit but it is the reason many people come this far. The two rock-cut temples of Ramses II (1264-1244 BC) were carved directly into the sandstone cliff face above the Nile. Four colossal seated statues of Ramses, each 20 metres tall, front the Great Temple.

When Lake Nasser rose behind the dam, both temples faced submersion. Between 1964 and 1968, the entire temple complex was cut into 1,036 pieces averaging 20 tonnes each, lifted to a site 64 metres higher, and reassembled. The joins are mostly invisible. The original orientation of the main temple was maintained so that on two days per year (22 February and 22 October, corresponding to Ramses’ birthday and coronation), sunrise aligns precisely with the main axis and illuminates the inner sanctuary.

The site is 3 hours by road from Aswan (EGP 250-400 shared taxi; guided day tours from Aswan run USD 50-80 per person). Flights from Aswan airport take 40 minutes (EgyptAir, around EGP 600-1,000). Entry around EGP 360. Open 05:00-18:00. The Solar Event on 22 February draws crowds; book accommodation months ahead if you want to witness it.

Elephantine Island and the Nilometer

Elephantine Island sits in the Nile directly opposite Aswan city, a 2-minute ferry crossing (EGP 2-3). The island has two continuing Nubian villages (Siou and Koti) with painted houses and the ruins of the ancient city of Yeb (the southern frontier of pharaonic Egypt).

The Nilometer on the southern tip is a calibrated staircase descending to the Nile’s waterline, used from antiquity through the 19th century to measure the annual flood and predict agricultural yields. The measurement marks are still legible. It is one of the oldest functional instruments in Egypt. The Aswan Museum nearby (EGP 50) holds local finds including a mummified ram.

The Unfinished Obelisk

In a granite quarry on the south edge of Aswan, an abandoned obelisk lies half-cut from the bedrock. Had it been completed it would have weighed around 1,200 tonnes and stood 41 metres. Cracks appeared during cutting and it was left in place. The working marks and the tool striations show exactly how Egyptian quarrymen cut stone: systematic percussion with dolerite pounding balls along parallel lines. Entry around EGP 140.

The West Bank Nubian Villages

The west bank opposite Aswan has several Nubian villages whose residents relocated from areas flooded by Lake Nasser. The architecture is distinctive: domed houses painted with geometric patterns, fish, and animal motifs in bright colours. Private motorboat from the Corniche runs around EGP 60-100 for a return trip. Gharb Soheil is the most accessible. Some households operate informal tea-and-tour visits; crocodile farms (both cultural practice and commercial operation) exist in several villages.

Felucca on the Nile

Feluccas (traditional wooden sailboats) are hired by the hour from the Corniche waterfront. A one-hour sail around Elephantine Island in the late afternoon costs around EGP 100-150 for the whole boat (negotiated). The cotton-sail boats with the wind off the desert is a sensible use of a Nile afternoon.

Eating

Nubian House Restaurant (Gharb Soheil, west bank): sit on a rooftop terrace with views back over the Nile to Aswan. Grilled fish from Lake Nasser, ful medames, local bread. Around EGP 80-150 per person.

Al-Masri (Corniche el-Nil, near the Philae Hotel): one of the better straightforward Egyptian restaurants in Aswan - kebabs, kofta, grilled chicken, served with bread, salad, and tahini. Around EGP 60-120.

Koshary restaurants on the side streets of the city centre: koshary (pasta, lentils, rice, tomato sauce, fried onions) for EGP 15-25 per bowl. Fast, filling, genuinely local.

Where to Stay

Sofitel Legend Old Cataract (Abtal el Tahrir): the Victorian colonial hotel, opened 1899, used by Agatha Christie while writing “Death on the Nile.” Terrace bar with Nile and Elephantine Island views is the most famous feature. Rooms from USD 200-450. Worth the price for special occasions; the terrace bar is accessible to non-guests for a drink at sunset.

Mövenpick Aswan (Elephantine Island): hotel on the island itself, reached by hotel ferry. Good location, away from city traffic, around USD 100-180 per night.

Keylany Hotel (Corniche el-Nil): budget option with Nile views, clean, central, around EGP 400-700 per night.

Getting There

Overnight sleeper train from Cairo (Watania Sleeping Trains): 12-14 hours, private cabins with dinner and breakfast, around USD 60-90 per person. The most practical way to cover the distance and arrive rested.

Domestic flight from Cairo: 1.5 hours, EGyptAir and Air Cairo, around EGP 600-1,500 depending on lead time.

From Luxor: 3-hour train or 2.5-hour road.