Egypt Guide
The Nile Valley
The Tombs of the Nobles
Opening time: Daily 8am–4pm
Price: £E20
Relatively few tourists bother with the Tombs of the Nobles hewn into the hillside further up the west bank, whose artwork has an immediacy and concern for everyday life that makes a refreshing change from royal art. If you're curious, local ferries ply between the station end of the Corniche and the landing stage of the west bank village of Aswan Min Gharb (every 30min 6am–11pm; £E1). To combine a visit with the monastery and mausoleum, start early at the tombs, then ascend to the domed hilltop Muslim shrine known as Qubbet el-Hawa (Tomb of the Wind), and walk across the desert to St Simeon's (45min).
The Tombs of the Nobles lie at different heights (Old and Middle Kingdom ones uppermost, Roman tombs nearest the waterline), and are numbered in ascending order from south to north. Taking the path up from the ticket kiosk, you reach the high-numbered ones first.