Aswan ..High Lights

Aswan

Aswan, Egypt's sunniest southern winter resort and ancient frontier town, lies around 900 km from Cairo and 215km from Luxor. It is one of the most beautiful places in the country with the town located on the east bank and the desert closing in on the Nile. Aswan is truly considered the jewel of the Nile. The Nile here, is at its most beautiful, flowing through amber desert and granite rocks, lush islands covered in palm groves and tropical plants. Actually, its ancient name “Syene” , was derived from “Syenite” or red granite ,that was extracted from its quarries and furnished raw material for much of the sculptures at Karnak and Luxor, as well as to most ancient Egyptian temples, obelisks and colossi. It is said that due to its geographical position, not far above the Tropic of cancer , it had been chosen by Erathostenes to calculate the radius of the earth in 230 BC.
Aswan's historical importance rose from its location on the Nile shore, in an area known as the 'First Cataract', an area of rocky shallows where navigation is difficult. This meant that whoever controlled Aswan, controlled access to Egypt from the South. This town which has always played a key part in Egyptian history was, in dynastic times, the southern seat of power in the empire and many of the great expeditions of antiquity departed from there.

Since the period of the Old Kingdom, it was the country’s gate to Africa controlling the trade routes from the south to the north, marking the border between Egypt and Nubia. Hence, it was the harbour and the market of African products: gold, slaves, spices, leathers, ivory, fruits and grains, baskets, mummified and living crocodiles. Even today you’ll find goods, foods and crafts from Aswan’s melting pot cultures sold by a colorful ethnic spectrum in Aswan’s equally colorful “souk” or market place, full of the scent and color of spices, perfumes, scarves and baskets, rarely found anywhere else in Egypt . A perfect place to buy exotic spices, fine alabaster and a wealth of other great souvenirs to take home.

Much quieter than Luxor, Aswan is small enough to walk around and is graced with the most beautiful setting on the Nile, dotted with islands, covered with shady gardens. The two main ones are Elephantine and Kitchener's Islands, which is the site of a botanical gardens. Elephantine Island is the biggest and has timeless artifacts dating from pre-dynastic times onward. the Aga Khan's Mausoleum on the west bank offers one of the best views of Aswan. You can spend the afternoons strolling around its tree-lined avenues, take a “Felluca”, a traditional sailboat, around Elephantine islands, wander around the tranquil botanical Gardens on Kitchener’s Island, or simply view the spectacular sunsets while having tea on the terrace of the Old Cataract Hotel. Aswan has also plenty to occupy sightseers, from the intriguing Unfinished Obelisk and granite quarries, to the beautiful island temple complex of Philae set on the beautiful Agilika island. Another must-see are the Nubian dancers and musicians performing every night in the Cultural Center. Those graceful dancers with their melodic Nubian tunes recreating scenes from village life and performing the famous Nubian mock stick-fight dances, will definitely move you to join them in their vibrant dances.

One of Aswan’s main landmarks is the celebrated Aswan High Dam. It was built in the 1960’s, creating Lake Nasser , 500 kilometres long with a capacity of 157 thousand million cubic metres and the world's second largest after the one on the Zambezi. The Dam brought both water and hydroelectric power to Egypt. It also threatened to flood over some of the country’s treasures. Stone by stone these treasures were relocated and painstakingly reassembled, with the help of UNESCO and a number of national and international agencies.

Aswan with its warm and relaxing atmosphere , its kind