#5 Wander around the pleasant Elephantine Island
Opposite Aswan, in the middle of the Nile, is Elephantine Island, the original defensive “border town” between Egypt and the Nubian lands to the south.
It is much more built up than it used to be, but it remains pleasant, with several Nubian villages and their gardens, and on the southern tip, the remains of ancient Yebu – which means elephant and was probably derived from the shape of the smooth grey boulders that surround the island, looking like elephants in the water.
#6 Track the Nilometer
From the Old Kingdom onwards, a strict watch was kept on the rise and fall of the Nile, measured by the Nilometer, which was one of the important functions of the resident governor of Elephantine.
Up until the 19th century, when Western technology started to revolutionise the management of water, frequent and regular readings were taken from the Nilometer at the southern end of Elephantine Island.
Those responsible for the cultivation of crops and the maintenance of embankments and canals would thus know in advance what to expect, while other administrators could calculate tax assessments.
According to an interesting text at Edfu, if the Nile rose 24 cubits at Elephantine, it would provide sufficient water to irrigate the land satisfactorily. If it did not, disaster would surely ensue. Just such a failure, which lasted for seven years. It is recorded on a block of granite a short way upstream.
#7 Seek the truth at the Temples of Khnum
Archaeological remains of the Temples of Khnum on the southern end of Elephantine are sketchy, but there is evidence that Tuthmosis III, Amenhotep II, Ramesses III, Alexander IV (the son of Alexander the Great), Augustus Caesar and Trajan all had a hand either in their construction or maintenance.
Parts of the temples were still standing when the French expedition arrived in 179, but were demolished about 20 years later by Muhammad Ali’s son Ibrahim (at this time viceroy of Upper Egypt) who subsequently used the temple’s fine white stone to build himself a palace.
#8 Listen to the “Voice of the Nile” at the Temple of Satet
The nearby Temple of Satet was built by Queen Hatshepsut for the goddess of fertility and inundation. Beneath the ruins is a shaft leading to a natural whirl hole, the noise of which was revered as the “Voice of the Nile”. Aramaic papyri found in the settlement record the presence of a large Jewish colony on the island.
#9 Sail to Aswan Botanical Garden by felucca
The nicest way to see the sights on the west bank is to take a felucca, although faster motorboats are available, too. The feluccas usually stop at the Aswan Botanical Garden on Kitchener’s Island, also known as El Nabatat Island.
In return for his military achievements in Sudan, Consul-General Kitchener was presented with this island in 1898, for which he collected exotic plants and seeds from across the world and laid out the gardens.
It has 25 different varieties of palm trees, and the main central pathway paved with pink granite is shadowed by two long rows of particularly impressive royal palms. Many visitors to Aswan are not aware that Kitchener’s Island even exists, simply because it is hidden from view from the east bank by the much larger Elephantine Island.