As with most World Heritage sites in Egypt the Nubian Monuments is not one single place to visit but many spread over a couple of hundred kilometres.   This was my third visit to Abu Simbel in more than 50 years.  The first time was in 1972, only one year after the New Dam had been completed and the water had started rising and flooding all those Nubian villages and monuments that had not been moved to higher ground.  The UNESCO-led rescue operation that was completed in 1968 in itself deserves mentioning on the world heritage list.  In 1972 we travelled in a Russian hydrofoil boat from the New Dam to Abu Simbel.  It was a time of high political tension: the windows of our boat were blacked out and for three hours we could not see anything.  On the dam itself we saw several air defence batteries.  When we arrived we had to climb about sixty meters to the new temple site. What is different today, there is an airport, a tourist village is now sprawling behind the temples, the river now much closer to the temple plateau, and the artificial dome supporting the re-erected temple is no longer accessible as it used to be.   

Abu Simbel is clearly worth a visit.  The site was re-discovered by the Swiss traveller Johann-Ludwig Burckhardt in 1813 - he is buried in a small and hidden cemetery in Old Cairo.  The two temples - the larger with the four colossi of Ramses II in front and the smaller one showing his wife Nefreteri as an equal to him - something he was allowed to do only far away from the conservative priesthood of Thebes.  The interior of the larger temple serves as a platform for political propaganda - perhaps the first recorded in history - showing him as the victor of the battle of Kadesh against the Hittites - the fact that he married an Hittite princess, lost Egypt’s possessions in Syria and entered into a peace treaty with the Hittites (a copy of the treaty can be seen in the Middle East collection of the Istanbul archaeological museum) may suggest a different story.  In any case, the battle scenes, the inner sanctuary with the gods Ra, Amun and Ptha flanking Ramses and the morning sun illuminating Ramses on the anniversary of his birth day and coronation day, let alone the story of its rescue from the floods, makes Abu Simbel an attractive tourist destination and a first class world heritage site, on the list since 1979.

One can reach it by plane from Aswan or Cairo, by road about three hours from Aswan and by boat in about four days going upstream.   We flew from Aswan and took a small boat back - you need to arrange this about one month in advance in order for the tour operator to obtain the necessary security clearances.  The four day boat trip allowed us to visit other Nubian monuments moved to higher ground.  Only one remained in place, Qasr Ibrim, an Ottoman fortress that used to guard the valley from high up, now a small island barely sticking out of the lake.  Due to ongoing excavations it is not accessible to tourists.  As we were travelling close to the end of the season we came into a sand storm and had to spend the night in a small bay that protected us from the elements.  

Next morning we advanced to Amada and visited a tomb and two temples.  The tomb of Pennut is just a few meters from the landing pier.  It was moved from its original site 40km farther south.  The site keeper accompanied us making sure we would not be surprised by snakes or scorpions.  Regrettably large parts of the reliefs are missing and are apparently in a private collection in the US.  Nevertheless the remaining parts display vibrant colours and tell the life of its owner, the governor of Nubia under Ramses VI.  The Temple of Amada is not far.  It was built under Tutmosis III and Amenhotep II.  It was difficult to cut the reliefs which are among the finest in Nubia. That part of the temple, weighing more than 900t was moved by French engineers as a whole on rails from its location two km away.   Several inscriptions report on the successful military campaigns of several pharaos.   The temple of Derr is at the far end of the site.   It was built by Ramses II. Facing West the phenomenon of the sun shining on the statute of the Pharao is reversed to the one in Abu Simbel; here it happens at sun set.  Only the hall and sanctuary remain with some very well preserved reliefs depicting in strong colours his campaigns in Nubia.  It took us about one hour to cover those three sites and the distances between them.  It is advisable to have water and sun protection with you.  

Then we moved on to the Wadi el Sebua.  From quite some distance you can see the tall pylons of the temples.  The keeper took us on his tuk-tuk from temple to temple.  We were grateful as it was a hot day.  The temple of Wadi el Sebua again glorifies the greatness of Ramses II.  It was moved to the current site with the help of Yugoslavia.  It is well preserved with an ascent flanked by sphinxes and a hall with ten huge statues of the Pharao, seven of them beheaded during the Christian period.  The sanctuary used to be covered with frescos painted in the Christian period, which have now fallen off only leaving the image of St. Peter flanked by the cartouche of Ramses II.   The temple of Dakka, oriented North-South, is mainly Roman in construction with an exit also from the sanctuary (both unusual features for Egyptian temples).  The shrine (naos) in the sanctuary dedicated to Augustus is one of the very few preserved at least in parts.  Passing a spectacular view of the river bank with lush vegetation, the last stop was the temple of Maharraqa, a small shrine, possibly never finished.  It was moved from about 140 km south of Aswan - then the border of the Roman Empire under Augustus.  Watch out for the spiral staircase leading to the roof top.  

The final stop after a good day’s journey was Kalabshah, a temple moved with the help of the German government about 50 km from its original site.  The entrance gateway of the temple was gifted to Germany.  The temple, from the Ptolemaic and Roman periods and dedicated to Mandulis, is well preserved with massive pylons, an impressive colonnaded court yard and hypostyle hall, and a three-chamber sanctuary from where you can climb up to the roof (I did this a few years ago but at the time of my latest visit in May 2024 the staircase was closed) with a great view of the temple, the lake and the New Dam.  Behind the temple, about five minutes walk is Beit al Wali, a rock hewn temple with a font pylon, built under Ramses II celebrating his victories over the Nubians.  On the way back you pass the Temple of Kertassi, its few remaining columns relocated from the original site, and the Kiosk of Qirtas with its one chamber and four standing columns.  The island can be reached by boat from a small port close to the New Dam. 

Philae, a magnificent temple from the late period, moved a few hundred metres from its original site.  You need to take boat from the High Dam and you arrive passing the impressive outer walls of the Temple of Isis.  It is also the place where the Isis cult survived the longest, well into the Christian period.  A spectacular view is offered from the Nubian Eco Lodge on an island just across.  Having breakfast on the terrace and watching an armada of small tourist boats arriving when the morning sun illuminates the temple and its adjacent buildings like the Kiosk of Trajan is quite a treat.  Philae, like Abu Simbel, could easily be a world heritage site in its own right given its location, state of preservation, cultural significance and importance to the local community. 

Elephantine, an island just north of the first cataract (you can reach it by boat from the East side of the river), was an important cult centre from the first dynasty right to the Roman period. Unfortunately two intact temples were demolished during the Nubian campaign of Mohamed Ali in the 1820s.  Nevertheless the remains, excavated by the German archaeological institute, the ruins of Abu and the Nilometer of the Temple of Khnum are still very impressive and certainly worth a visit.  A small museum tells the history of the island.  The famous Old Cataract Hotel, featured in Agatha Christie’s Death on the Nile, lies just across the river on the East Bank.   

The site of the unfinished obelisk is about two km from town and can be reached by taxi or minibus.  It shows a colossal obelisk of 42 meters that was not fully carved out of the bed rock because of a crack.  The place shows the significance of the Aswan rose granite as building material all over Egypt and through all periods.  Opposite lies the Fatimid Cemetery, perhaps a less interesting site but part of the WHS with a few mud-brick tombs, which are fenced off and you need to seek the assistance of the keeper to let you in.  

Qubbat el Hawwa is situated on the less visited West Bank of Aswan, just across from Kitchener’s island.  Spanish and German archeologists are researching the hill side tombs of governors from the Middle Kingdom and tombs from the New Kingdom, that were unfortunately looted and badly damaged between 2011 and 2014. Archaeologists believe that in all likelihood those had been intact tombs.  The whole stretch of five kilometres showing 5000 years of Egyptian history will be established as an archaeological park thanks to the European Union.  The announcement was made just at the time of our visit.   

For most of the sites you can find up-to-date information on opening hours and ticketing on egymonuments.com