Aswan and Lake Nasser
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1. Temple of Isis
Dedicated to one of ancient Egypt's most important goddesses, the Temple of Isis rises majestically above the calm Nile waters on small Agilkia Island. Some stone blocks found on-site date from 690 BC, but the main part of the complex standing today is from the reign of Ptolemy II Philadelphus (285–246 BC) and the Roman emperor Diocletian (284–305 AD). The devoted worshipped Isis here until the 6th century AD, long after Christianity took hold elsewhere. This building was the final temple constructed in this style, and it's where the last hieroglyph was carved. The striking, 18-meter (59-foot) First Pylon is one of the temple's oldest structures, built by Nectanebo I (379–361 BC) but showing reliefs from Ptolemy XII (80–58 BC). To reach it, pass the Kiosk of Nectanebo—a roofless structure with offering scenes on its walls and about half of its original Hathor-head columns intact—and go through the First Court, lined with the Roman-built West Colonnade and unfinished East Colonnade. On the left (west) side of the Second Court is the small mammisi (chapel depicting divine birth), showing the birth of Horus, son of Isis and Osiris. The grand Second Pylon, carved with gods and Ptolemaic-era pharaohs, reveals the entrance to the temple itself. Inside, the Hypostyle Hall consists of 10 columns that are mainly the work of Ptolemy VIII. The generous offering scenes continue, showing the pharaoh by himself or accompanied by his wife giving incense, vases, and wine to the gods. Christians repurposed the temple as a church, as evidenced by the defaced figures and Coptic crosses on the walls. Beyond this area lies the sanctuary, with an altar on the right. A side door leads out to the Gateway of Hadrian, and reliefs show the Roman emperor making offerings to the Egyptian gods. East of the temple, close to the riverbank, the Kiosk of Trajan is a small open temple with supporting columns. Despite it being unfinished, it's one of Philae's most iconic structures and was often the subject of Victorian-era painters. Like other ancient structures in Lower Nubia, the Temple of Isis was rescued by UNESCO in the 1970s. After the completion of the Aswan Dam in 1902, water partially submerged the temple during the Nile's flood season, and archaeologists feared that the damp would soften the monument's foundations and cause its collapse. It was moved to what was then known as Agilkia Island but was renamed for the island where the Temple of Isis originally stood. This temple is one of four ancient monuments in Egypt that has nighttime sound-and-light shows ( soundandlight.show/en, LE310)—the others are Abu Simbel, Karnak in Luxor, and the Pyramids of Giza. Some say that the Philae show is the least cheesy of the bunch. The first part involves walking through the atmospheric, partly illuminated temple, and the second delivers a brief history. Book show tickets online in advance, checking to be sure that the show you select is narrated in English.
EgyptSight Details
Rate Includes: LE180 -
2. Temples of Abu Simbel
The Great Temple of Ramses II is fronted by four 65-foot-tall colossi of the sitting pharaoh wearing the double crown of Upper and Lower Egypt. One of the four heads fell to the ground in antiquity and was kept in that position when the temple was moved. Around the legs of the statues stand smaller figures of Ramses II's mother, his favorite wife Nefertari, and some of his children (he allegedly fathered more than 100). A row of baboons praising the rising sun tops the temple facade. A carved figure of Ra-Horakhty stands over the door to the temple between the two pairs of statues. Inside, the hypostyle hall is lined with eight columns of Ramses II in the crossed-arms position of Osiris, god of the afterlife. The walls are carved with reliefs showing military conquests and other events from Ramses II's reign, including his self-proclaimed victory at the Battle of Kadesh (1274 BC) in modern-day Syria. It has some fine scenes showing Ramses on a chariot, and it also depicts the besieged city, the attack, and the counting of body parts of the defeated enemies. Protective vultures with outstretched wings decorate the ceiling. Several side chambers are accessible from this hall and were probably used as storerooms for the furniture, vessels, linen, and priestly costumes. The second hall contains four square columns and is decorated with scenes of Ramses II and Queen Nefertari making offerings to the gods, including the deified Ramses himself. This hall leads into a narrow room where the pharaoh likely made in-person offerings to the gods of the temple. Beyond lie two undecorated side chapels and the main sanctuary, which has four rock-carved statues of temple gods: Ptah, Amun-Ra, deified Ramses II, and Ra-Horakhty. Twice a year, the first rays of the rising sun pierce the dark interior of the temple and shine on three of the four statues—Ptah, connected with the realm of the dead, remains in the dark. When the temple was moved, this solar phenomenon was taken into consideration and still happens, albeit one day later, on February 22 and October 22. Thousands visit on these dates, and ticket prices more than double. The smaller temple at Abu Simbel is the Temple of Queen Nefertari, dedicated to the goddess Hathor. Six 10-meter (33-foot) standing rock-cut statues of Queen Nefertari and Ramses II front the temple, and note that it's unusual to see the pharaoh's consort shown in the same size. The layout of this temple is a simplified version of the Great Temple. The doorway opens into a hypostyle hall that contains six Hathor-headed columns. The ceiling offers a dedicatory inscription from Ramses II to Queen Nefertari. The hall is decorated with scenes of the royal couple making offerings to or worshiping the gods. A narrow vestibule follows the pillared hall, and the main sanctuary leads off this vestibule. The sanctuary contains a niche with a statue of Hathor as a cow, protecting Ramses.
Abu Simbel, Aswan, EgyptSight Details
Rate Includes: LE240 -
3. New Kalabsha
The largest freestanding temple in Nubia, the little-visited Temple of Kalabsha was built by Roman emperor Augustus, who reigned from 27 BC to AD 14. It's dedicated to Osiris, Isis, and Mandulis, an ancient Nubian sun god adopted by Ptolemies and Romans. He's often shown with an elaborate headdress of ram's horns topped with sun discs, cobras, and plumed feathers. The building was never finished, and only three inner rooms, as well as portions of the exterior, are completely decorated with reliefs. Kalabsha's temple complex includes a mammisi (chapel depicting divine birth), a column-surrounded court and a hypostyle hall. Stairs from one of the sanctuaries go up to the roof, where you can soak up spectacular views of the temple, Lake Nasser, and the Aswan High Dam. In the 1960s, a German team moved the temple, saving it from the lake waters, and the Egyptian government thanked Germany with one of the original gates, now in Berlin. Northwest of the Temple of Kalabsha, a walkway leads to the small rock-cut temple of Beit al-Wali. Ramses II commissioned this diminutive but colorful monument, probably for show instead of worship, and the walls depict scenes of the pharaoh clutching his enemies by the hair. Other reliefs demonstrate the riches of Nubia—including gold, ebony, ivory, leopard skins, monkeys, giraffes, lions, and gazelles—being awarded to Ramses II for his conquest.
EgyptSight Details
Rate Includes: LE60 -
4. Qasr Ibrim
Once strategically placed on a headland high above the Nile, this ancient fortress is now at water level, trapped on an island by rising lake waters that are the result of the Aswan High Dam. Thanks to its once lofty position, Qasr Ibrim is the area's only ancient monument still in its original location, and archaeological work is ongoing. Thought to have been constructed during the Middle Kingdom (2130–1649 BC), the structure had religious as well as military significance. Shrines were built to Horus, Hathor, and local gods of the First Cataract, and the worship of traditional Egyptian deities held on here well into the era of Christianity. Eventually, some of the temples were dismantled or converted into churches, and pilgrims recorded their journey by carving footprints into the rock. Note that the site is closed to visitors except for those taking Lake Nasser cruises, which stop here for a 15-minute photo op.
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5. Temple of Amada
The oldest in Nubia, the Temple of Amada was started under the orders of Thutmose III (1479–1425 BC), and subsequent pharaohs continued its construction. Important inscriptions highlight ancient Egypt's military prowess against rebellious Syrians and a failed Libyan invasion. Between 1964 and 1975, the temple was moved to its current spot, about 2.5 km (1.5 miles) away from its original location. Unlike other temples in Nubia that had to be rescued from Lake Nasser, Amada could not be sawed into blocks for transport because that method would destroy its painted reliefs. Instead, a team of French architects devised a way to move the entire temple in one piece by placing it on rails and using a hydraulic system to haul it to higher ground.
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6. Temple of Dakka
This Ptolemaic Dynasty–era (305–30 BC) temple was dedicated to Thoth, the ibis-headed god of wisdom. When the structure was relocated from some 50 km (31 miles) away in the 1960s, archaeologists found a number of New Kingdom (1550–1077 BC) blocks had been reused in the later building.
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7. Temple of Derr
Constructed by the great builder, Ramses II, the rock-cut Temple of Derr was dedicated to Amun, Ptah, and Ra-Horakhty, as well as, of course the egotistical pharaoh himself. Despite its desecration by early Christians and use as a church, the temple still retains some brightly painted wall reliefs. It was dismantled and moved here along with Amada in 1964 to save it from being drowned by Lake Nasser.
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8. Temple of Kom Ombo
Set on a curve in the Nile, Kom Ombo is a unique "double temple" dedicated equally to two deities: the crocodile-headed god Sobek and the falcon-headed Haroeris, a manifestation of the god Horus. Virtually all the structure visible today dates from the late Ptolemaic Dynasty (ca. 205 BC), but earlier structures and artifacts continue to be unearthed, including the January 2021 discovery of pharaohs' seals from the 5th Dynasty (2495–2345 BC). A large open courtyard leads to the 10-column outer hypostyle hall with exquisite relief carvings that show gods and pharaoh coronations in fine detail, all the way down to their sculpted knees and clear-cut toenails. The reliefs continue through the inner hypostyle hall, a series of offering halls, and twin sanctuaries. The latter contain a set of crypts and secret passageways from which priests provided advice and the "voice" of god. As in many other ancient Egyptian temples, much of Kom Ombo's decoration depicts scenes of pharaohs making offerings to the gods and the gods blessing pharaohs. But this temple also has some unusual carvings. On the back (northeast) wall along the outer stone enclosure, surgical and medical instruments such as forceps, scales, a stethoscope, and even a sponge are depicted on a table, possibly indicating that Kom Ombo was a center of healing. The goddess Isis is also shown on a birthing chair. Also, look for a calendar on the southwest wall of the offering hall, the only carving of its kind that shows the date of the Nile's flooding season. On the north side of the temple, a large well at least 15 meters (50 feet) deep is connected to a series of basins that the cult of Sobek might have used to house newborn crocodiles. Fragments of a mammisi (chapel depicting divine birth) stand at the temple's western corner near the entrance. The way out leads through a dimly lit Crocodile Museum that houses 20 mummified crocs, the largest of which is a whopping 4 meters (14 feet) long. Those who prayed at Kom Ombo would leave behind offerings of mummified crocodiles and stelae, stone slabs decorated with the name of the pilgrim and a prayer to the god.
EgyptSight Details
Rate Includes: LE140
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