a river runs through it
Aswan may be the last stop on the Nile for river cruises but there are plenty of reasons to linger in this fascinating historic city, as Nicola Corthay finds.
In the fifth century B.C., ancient Greek traveller Herodotus wrote: “Nowhere are there so many marvellous things as in Egypt.” Two and a half thousand or so years on, little has changed. At least, that’s the impression I get when I visit Aswan.
Around 900 kilometres south of the Egyptian capital Cairo, the town of Aswan sits on the east bank of the Nile River, shaped by sandbanks and tumbled boulders and surrounded by desert. At Aswan, the mighty waterway narrows and becomes dotted with rocky outcrops and islets, which made it the end point for river transport back in Herodotus’ day. Today, dams have a similar effect, in addition to taming the river’s unpredictable ebb and flow.
Aswan’s ancient name, Swenet, translates into English as “trade”. Small wonder that the town was once one of the most important trading posts in the region. The market streets here are still among the best in Egypt and are lined with stalls selling piles of spices such as saffron, henna and dried hibiscus flowers, as well as textiles, jewellery and all manner of unidentifiable objects. Bedouin carpets, baskets and antiques make for good souvenirs.
These market streets lie just back from Aswan’s riverbank corniche. The setting here is staggering: traditional felucca sailing boats weave between small islands strewn with whitewashed villages, all backed by the desert. On the opposite bank loom sculpted sand dunes and the hulking tomb of Sultan Mohamed Shah Aga Khan III. According to his fourth and final wife, the Aga Khan first visited Aswan in 1935 and vowed to spend some time there every year – which he did until his death in 1957. Every day for the next 50 years, his widow would, it is said, leave a rose on his tomb.
The other picturesque sight on the west bank of the river is the Monastery of St. Simeon: the ruins of a Coptic monastery constructed in the sixth and seventh centuries and rebuilt in the 10th century that, in its heyday, housed hundreds, perhaps thousands of monks. Walk upstream and you’ll stumble upon their sleeping quarters and a church with melancholy arches and decaying passageways.
Cataracts once made the Nile turbulent here but the construction of the Aswan Dam has made the river deep and lazy – ideal for boating. Dozens of companies offer felucca excursions out to destinations such as Sehel Island, around four kilometres southwest of Aswan and famed for its landscape, strewn with huge granite boulders bearing inscriptions left by the travellers of yesteryear making their way to Nubia in the south of the country.
In the centre of the Nile, Aswan’s Elephantine Island is also worth visiting, and is easily accessed by public ferry. Ongoing excavations have uncovered ruins that include a small step pyramid and the tombs of sacred rams from Egypt’s late period (the most renowned ram’s sarcophagus is now housed in the Nubia Museum).
Sadly, Elephantine’s relics are badly decayed; the 1,500-odd artefacts on permanent display at the UNESCO-sponsored Nubia Museum, back in town, are in much better condition and include quartz statues, horse armour, frescoes and some splendid examples of Nubian gold and silver jewellery.
History enthusiasts will also want to stop by the Northern Quarries, which once supplied a large part of Egypt with red granite for temples and statues. The main reason for visiting is so that you can ogle a colossal, albeit unfinished obelisk that was abandoned halfway through its construction because of flaws in the stone. Roughly shaped and almost cut free from the surrounding rock, the obelisk still has visible chisel marks: it’s almost as if workers laid down their tools here yesterday. Had the obelisk been finished, it would have been the largest of its kind in
the world.
A three-hour drive from Aswan into the desert, the massive temples of Abu Simbel are best visited early in the morning. You’ll need to depart your hotel before dawn to make the trek but the staggering rock carvings at this ancient site are well worth losing sleep to see. In an amazing feat of engineering, the site – dating back to the 13th century B.C. – was relocated to its current hilltop location to avoid being submerged by Lake Nasser, the massive artificial reservoir formed after the building of the Aswan Dam. Abu Simbel remains one of Egypt’s most visited sites for good reason: the superb interior frescoes are watched over by four towering statues of Ramses II.
Back in Aswan, the Sofitel Old Cataract hotel is an architectural attraction in its own right. It’s an elaborate establishment that has been described as looking similar to a Byzantine chocolate cake. The property was constructed for Thomas Cook, the 19th-century English pioneer of group tours. Howard Carter stayed in the hotel after discovering Tutankhamen’s tomb, and other illustrious guests have included Sir Winston Churchill, Agatha Christie and the Shah of Iran. Eight themed suites are named after some of the prestigious guests who have stayed here.
If you are checking in, be sure to enjoy sundowners on the hotel’s verandah, which is set on a hunk of granite affording magical vistas of the Nile. As the last of the sun disappears, the mighty rocks of Aswan begin to glow a warm pink and the river turns deep crimson. Hawks drift overhead and herons stroll at the water’s edge, while volcanic outcrops dot the water, glinting like jewels in the desert. •
Photos courtesy of the Egyptian Tourist Authority.
Travel facts
getting there
Emirates flies to Cairo, the Egyptian capital, from Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Brisbane via Dubai. 1300-303-777; emirates.com/au
Etihad Airways also flies to Cairo from Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane via Abu Dhabi. 1800-998-995; etihadwairways.com
EgyptAir offers multiple daily connections between Cairo and Aswan. egyptair.com
getting around
Companies offering well-planned tours around Egypt include:
• Active Travel. 61-2/9264-1231; activetravel.com.au
• Insight Vacations. insightvacations.com.au
• Wildlife Safari. 1800-998-558; wildlifesafari.com.au
when to go
The best time to visit Egypt is during autumn (September through November) and in spring (February through April). Summer, from June through August, is hot, muggy and probably best avoided.
Egypt Tourism can offer advice on when to go. egypt.travel
where to stay
Built in 1899, the spectacularly located Hotel Sofitel Old Cataract is currently undergoing a facelift and will re-open in January as a Sofitel Legend. 1300-763-483; sofitel.com
Set on Elephantine Island, the Mövenpick Resort Aswan offers lovely rooms and villas decorated with frescoes. 20-97/230-3455; movenpick-hotels.com
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