This was published 5 years ago
Aswan, Egypt travel guide and things to do: Why you should visit
By Belinda Jackson
Blow your Instagram's mind with a visit to colourful Nubian village on Elephantine Island, in the middle of the Nile. Credit: Alamy
WHY
Located in southern Egypt (Upper Egypt), Aswan was part of the ancient kingdom of Nubia, a land of gold, of conquering pharaohs and, from the 1960s, the drowned world of Aswan's High Dam. Egypt's most popular Nile cruises start and end here, running north to Luxor, and it's is also the starting point for cruises to the dramatic Abu Simbel complex in Egypt's deep south. The best time to visit is winter – summer is a long run of hot, dry, plus-40 days in this city, which sits on the Tropic of Cancer. See sanctuaryretreats.com
VISIT
The Movenpick Resort Aswan, also on Elephantine Island, looks back toward Aswan, with spectacular views of the city and the desert beyond.
Blow your Instagram's mind with a visit to colourful Nubian village on Elephantine Island, in the middle of the Nile. The cool, domed whitewashed houses and bright carpets are matched by hospitality as warm as a summer's day in Aswan. Love it? Grab a bed in one of the many guesthouses (see urbanadventures.com). The city's souq (market) is nowhere near as crowded as in Egypt's pre-revolution heyday. Let yourself be lured past the tawdry "antiques" into the back rooms, to discover genuine Nubian and Bedouin dresses and jewellery.
EAT
The massive Movenpick Resort Aswan, also on Elephantine Island, looks back toward Aswan, with spectacular views of the city and the desert beyond. Pop into the swishy Panorama restaurant and bar for drinks as the sun sets over the Nile, while the Mezze restaurant sits on the river's edge looking out to the Tombs of the Nobles. Mezze serves Egyptian classics such the thick, spinach-like soup molokheya with rabbit, see movenpick.com
LOOK
For a taste of the desert, head to the Monastery of St Simeon on the west bank, which dates from the seventh century. It's above the Aga Khan mausoleum: the 48th Aga Khan spent his winters here buried to the neck in hot sand to ease his arthritis. His wife, the Begum, built the mausoleum to her husband, and is now buried here along with him: it's one of Egypt's great love stories. Engineering aficionados will have a field day in Aswan, whose top archaeological site is the Unfinished Obelisk, which at 42 metres long would have been the biggest single obelisk had it not proven to be flawed.
MUST
The beautiful Temple of Philae began life dedicated to the powerful goddess Isis – mother, healer, protector. Flooded when the Nile was first ensnared in the 1902 Aswan Dam, the temple complex was confined to a watery grave. It took eight years to move it to higher ground, every stone numbered and reconstructed onto Agilkia Island. Take a felucca (traditional sailboat) late in the day for the best light and to evade the tour groups. See facebook.com/bob.teleb
SLEEP
The best address in town is the Sofitel Legend Old Cataract. A haunt of Winston Churchill and Agatha Christie, who wrote Death on the Nile on its terrace, choose between the historic rooms in the palace wing or larger Nile wing rooms, with their sumptuous views of the river. With a glittering spa and lavish breakfast buffet serving all the Egyptian and European faves, the hotel is a destination in its own right, costs from $US167. See sofitel.accorhotels.com
TIP
Peace is hard to find in Egypt's cities, but guaranteed as you skim the Nile at sunset in a little felucca at sunset. Walk the Corniche and pick your captain from a dozen offers.
See egypt.travel, sanctuaryretreats.com
Belinda Jackson travelled at her own expense and as a guest of Sanctuary Retreats.
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