A three-storey building on 146,000 sq metres of land, the Nile Museum exhibits antique items that tell of the waterway's history and photos that illustrate river projects and the development of irrigation techniques since Ottoman rule. Sections are allocated within the museum for the 11 Nile Basin countries to exhibit their historical, Nile-related items. It also includes a conference hall and a library.
Nile Museum
Aswan
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
0.99 MILES
Built to honour the goddess Isis, this was the last temple built in the classical Egyptian style. Construction began around 690 BC, and it was one of the…
2.81 MILES
The little-visited Nubia Museum, opposite Basma Hotel, is a treat, a showcase of the history, art and culture of Nubia. Established in 1997 in cooperation…
3.89 MILES
Kitchener’s Island, to the west of Elephantine Island, was given to Lord Horatio Kitchener in the 1890s when he was commander of the Egyptian army…
3.06 MILES
The evocative ruins of ancient Abu and the Aswan Museum (partially closed for renovation) lie at Elephantine Island's southern tip. Numbered plaques and…
2.7 MILES
Aswan was the source of ancient Egypt’s finest granite, used to make statues and embellish temples, pyramids and obelisks. The large unfinished obelisk in…
Temple of Kom Ombo & Crocodile Museum
28.53 MILES
Standing on a promontory at a bend in the Nile, where in ancient times sacred crocodiles basked in the sun on the riverbank, is the Temple of Kom Ombo,…
5.62 MILES
Kalabsha Temple is an impressive Ptolemaic and Roman structure, not unlike nearby Philae in its layout. The early 19th-century Swiss traveller Burckhardt …
4.26 MILES
The high cliffs opposite Aswan, just north of Kitchener’s Island, are honeycombed with the tombs of the governors, the Keepers of the Gate of the South,…
Nearby Aswan attractions
0.6 MILES
Completed in 1902, the Aswan Dam was a feat of engineering for its time and the largest dam in the world, measuring 2441m across, 50m high and 30m wide…
0.99 MILES
Built to honour the goddess Isis, this was the last temple built in the classical Egyptian style. Construction began around 690 BC, and it was one of the…
1.23 MILES
Situated just north of the old Aswan Dam, the island of Seheyl was sacred to the goddess Anukis. Before the dam’s construction, the Nile would rush…
1.29 MILES
Fekra is a farm located on 40,000 sq m of land on the lake between the old dam and the High Dam, and overlooks Philae Island. The Fekra Cultural Centre –…
1.8 MILES
Gharb Seheyl, the village opposite Seheyl island, has become popular tourist attraction of late, both with excursions from Aswan and for those looking for…
2.58 MILES
This lovely beach on the Nile is safe for swimming, but you'll need a motor boat to get there, or walk or take a camel from Gharb Seheyl.
2.7 MILES
Aswan was the source of ancient Egypt’s finest granite, used to make statues and embellish temples, pyramids and obelisks. The large unfinished obelisk in…
2.7 MILES
Among the modern graves are some ruined mud-brick domed tombs, some of which go back to the Fatimid period (9th century). The domes are built on a drum…