A beautiful winter resort, relaxing Aswan is the southernmost city in the country; the gateway to Africa, and steeped in Nubian culture. Although the sights are not the country’s finest, the town’s riverside location is picturesque and peaceful. It has a busy tourism scene although it is less aggressive than Luxor.
The corniche provides attractive riverside walks, and a stop-off for many cruise ships. In the evenings, floating restaurants provide a lively gathering place, and the world-famous folkloric dance troupe performs nightly during winter months at the Cultural Center. Southernmost is the Old Cataract Hotel (famous as the location of the film ‘Death on the Nile’). Sharia el-Souq is the atmospheric market stretching for streets, with spices, food and clothes, as well as predictable tourist souvenirs.
Elephantine Island is easily accessible by river taxi. Formerly Egypt’s frontier town, recent excavations of this ancient site have revealed temples and a fortress. Aswan Museum contains exhibits found in Nubia and Aswan. The Nilometer on the south of the island, dating back to Pharaonic times, was used to measure the height of the Nile.
Further south is the tiny Island of Plants, presented to Lord Horatio Kitchener in the 1890s in recognition of his military services. Importing exotic flowers and plants from India and Malaysia, he created a beautiful botanical garden, open daily to the public, attracting a wide variety of birds.
On the West Bank of the Nile lies the Monastery of St Simeon, which resembles a fortress. Nearby is the domed granite and sandstone Mausoleum of Aga Khan.