From the magnificent allure of its present day culture, to the antiquities of ancient civilizations; Egypt is full of marvels and wonders. A tour of ancient Egypt's southern most regions presents tourist with sights originating 2000 years BC. Present in this land is the ancient trade center of Aswan as well as one of the most renowned Egyptian monuments, the temples of Abu Simbel.
ASWAN
Aswan is an Egyptian city located on the banks of the Nile. Many Egypt tours showcase this significant region due to the city's markets and antiquities. The city of Aswan includes the remarkable island of Elephantine and is located where the first cataracts (unnavigable waters due to shallow water riddled with boulders) of the Nile appear.
The villages along the Nile hold a beauty of their own. Vivid colors are noticeable against the gold of the desert and the structures that the desert leaves standing are amid ruins of civilizations that have passed. Palm trees dot the banks of the Nile, a stark oasis from the desert that rises in the distance. Rainfall occurs once or twice in a decade making Aswan one of the driest places on earth that people still inhabit.
The quarries of Aswan are now archeologist sites and are protected by Egypt's Supreme Council on Antiquities. Most Egypt tours celebrate an unfinished obelisk present in Aswan's quarry which would have been the largest ancient Egyptian obelisk ever created once finished. The native granite of Aswan is traceable and several Egyptian antiquities such as the obelisk monuments in New York City, London, and Paris known as Cleopatra's Needles are made from the granite of Aswan's quarries.
ABU SIMBEL
A tour of ancient Egypt would not be complete if it did not include a visit to the incredible temples of Abu Simbel. These Nubian monuments comprised of two twin temples depict numerous state and godly deities of the era including Ra-Harakhtv, Ptah, Amun, Hathor, and heir apparent, Ramses II (Ramesses II) along with his beloved Nefertari.
Held as one of the most impressive antiquity sites in Ancient Egypt, it was also one of the most expensive due to its nearly 40 million dollar relocation initiated by the building of Aswan's High Dam in 1965. The original temples of Abu Simbel were dismantled and reassembled some 200 ft higher and 600 ft farther away from the Niles former bank due to the creation of the reservoir. Today, most Egypt tours include motor coach tours of the new location.
A tourist would be amiss to not see the Egypt tour sites of Aswan and Abu Simbel. Nile cruises aboard well-appointed cruise liners are available and motor coach tours of the area are simply a must for those interested in the ancient Egyptian civilizations and monuments pharaohs erected.
Author Resource:
Make sure the destinations of Aswan and Abu Simbel are a part of your Egypt Tour vacation package. A tour of ancient Egypt would not be complete without the impressive sites of the Nile river valley, the Elephantine quarries, or the incredible temples of Abu Simbel.
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