2 Best Sights in Aswan and Lake Nasser, Egypt

In a more modern side building off the historic museum (itself built in 1898 to house the British engineer of the Aswan Dam, but seemingly indefinitely closed for renovations), a few glass cases display archaeological finds from Elephantine Island, including pottery, jewelry, grave goods, and a marriage contract written on papyrus.

The archaeological area sprawls across most of the southern part of Elephantine Island, but the ruins are minimal and uninspiring compared with sites elsewhere in Egypt. Temples with quite a bit of modern restoration are dedicated to two of the three gods of the Elephantine Triad: Khnum and his consort, Satet. Northwest of the Temple of Khnum is a flight of metal stairs and a platform that offers a panoramic view of the small nearby islands and southern Aswan. Near the boat dock is the Nilometer, used to gauge the annual Nile floods and therefore the taxes due. 

For the site's high ticket price, the museum is disappointingly small, and the ruins are barely labeled.

An effort to preserve the Nubian history that was on the verge of being lost because of the construction of the Aswan High Dam, the Nubia Museum houses more than 2,000 artifacts that highlight the culture and heritage of these people and the land. Arranged chronologically, the museum walks you through prehistory, the Kingdom of Kush when Nubian kings ruled Egypt, and onward through the Christian and Islamic periods.

Artifacts range from larger-than-life statuary to a small game of backgammon. A diorama presents scenes of rural Nubian life, informative if you don't have time to visit one of the villages yourself. Outside, the museum's grounds include a water feature representing the Nile, a reconstruction of a Nubian house, a cave with rock inscriptions, and part of a Fatimid-era cemetery. Allow about two hours to do it all justice.