Aswan (governorate) - Assuan (Gouvernement)

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South side of the Aswan High Dam
Aswan Governorate
‏محافظة أسوان‎
CapitalAswan
Residents
1.473.975 (2017)
surface
62,726 km²
Post Code81xxx
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prefix 20 (0)97
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websitewww.aswan.gov.eg
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location
Situation map

The egyptian Governorate Aswan or Aswan, Arabic:محافظة أسوان‎, Muḥāfaẓat Aswān, located in Upper Egypt and Lower Nubia and has numerous pharaonic monuments from different times as well as beautiful landscapes such as Nile cataracts, gardens and desert areas. The Lake Nasser forms the southern part of the governorate, while the eastern part of the governorate extends into the Arabian desert extends. The provincial capital is Aswan.

places

Site map of the Aswan Governorate

The most important places are from north to south:

  • 1  Edfu (‏إدفو‎). Edfu in the Wikipedia encyclopediaEdfu in the media directory Wikimedia CommonsEdfu (Q239107) in the Wikidata database.- City on the west bank of the Nile. In the city is the Top attraction Temple of Horus, to which an open-air museum is attached.(24 ° 58 ′ 36 ″ N.32 ° 52 '47 "E.)
  • 2  Kom Ombo (‏كوم أمبو‎). Kom Ombo in the Wikipedia encyclopediaKom Ombo in the media directory Wikimedia CommonsKom Ombo (Q138833) in the Wikidata database.- City on the Nilostufer. West of the city is located directly on the banks of the Nile Top attractionDouble temple of Kom Ombo. There is also a crocodile museum on the temple area.(24 ° 28 ′ 45 ″ N.32 ° 56 '49 "E.)
  • 3  Out of it (‏دراو‎). Also in the Wikipedia encyclopediaThen in the media directory Wikimedia CommonsDarau (Q6000830) in the Wikidata database.- City on the Nilostufer with an animal market and the Nubian house Ḥōsch el-Kinzī.(24 ° 24 ′ 31 ″ N.32 ° 55 '26 "E)
  • 4  Aswan (‏أسوان‎). Aswan in the Wikipedia encyclopediaAswan in the media directory Wikimedia CommonsAswan (Q29888) in the Wikidata database.- Big city and provincial capital on the east bank with numerous monuments, hotels, restaurants and gardens. Important sights are the Nile island Elephantinewho have favourited The prince graves of Qubbat el-Hawa on the West bank and the unfinished obelisk.(24 ° 4 '54 "N.32 ° 54 '10 "E)
  • 5  New Abu Simbel (‏أبو سمبل الجديدة‎). New Abu Simbel in the Wikipedia encyclopediaNew Abu Simbel in the media directory Wikimedia CommonsNew Abu Simbel (Q6655437) in the Wikidata database.- Newly created village in the immediate vicinity of the one relocated from the former Abu Simbel Top attraction Temple of Ramses ’II and his wife Nefertiri.(22 ° 20 ′ 13 ″ N.31 ° 37 ′ 32 ″ E)

Other goals

The following locations are listed from north to south.

North of Edfu

Western bank of the Nile

Eastern bank of the Nile

  • Top attraction4  el-Kab (‏الكاب‎). el-Kab in the Wikipedia encyclopediael-Kab in the media directory Wikimedia Commonsel-Kab (Q287705) in the Wikidata database.- Archaeological site on the Nilostufer with a cemetery and several small temples.(25 ° 7 ′ 0 ″ N.32 ° 48 ′ 0 ″ E)
  • 5  Beit Somers Clarke (‏بيت سومرز كلارك‎). Beit Somers Clarke (Q78846907) in the Wikidata database.- The house built in 1902 from adobe bricks[1] by the English architect and Egyptologist Somers Clarke (1841–1926) was placed on the list of Coptic and Islamic antiquities in August 2018. It is close to the banks of the Nile south of the village 6 en-Naṣrāb and south of el-Kāb.(25 ° 5 '56 "N.32 ° 49 ′ 27 ″ E)
  • 6  el-Kanāʾis (‏الكنائس‎). el-Kanāʾis in the media directory Wikimedia Commonsel-Kanāʾis (Q53918004) in the Wikidata database.- The archaeological site with the Temple of Seti ’I, a settlement and rock carvings is located 50 kilometers east of Edfu in the eastern desert south of the trunk road to Marsā ʿAlam.(25 ° 0 ′ 19 ″ N.33 ° 18 ′ 39 ″ E)

Between Edfu and Aswan

Western bank of the Nile

Relief of Mentuhoteps II in the Wādī Schaṭṭer-Rigāl

Eastern bank of the Nile

Double temple of Kom Ombo

Between Aswan and Hochdamm

At Lake Nasser

background

The unfinished obelisk bears witness to the mining that has been going on since Pharaonic times.

Aswan Governorate is in Upper Egypt and is one of the oldest and largest Egyptian governorates, formed in the 19th century. It borders the governorate to the north Luxor, in the east to the governorate Red Sea, in the south to the Sudan and in the west to the governorate New valley. The governorate now extends from the city of Edfu in the north to the Egyptian-Sudanese border in the south of Egypt. With the formation of the governorate Luxor In 2009 the area was around Esna to the north of Luxor slammed into the newly formed governorate. The Nasser Lake, the reservoir behind the Aswan High Dam, takes up a considerable area.

With around 1.4 million inhabitants, the governorate is one of the poorest in population. Only around 40 percent of the population lives in cities. The shores of Lake Nasser are almost uninhabited these days. There are numerous residents of the governorate Nubianswhich has existed since the 4th millennium BC. Are represented far in the Sudan.

The main industry is agriculture, including fishing. Important products are sugar cane, lentils, corn and wheat. Further branches of the economy are tourism, trade especially with Sudan, mining with quarries for sandstone, granite and marble as well as sugar, cement, copper and steel factories, which are mainly located in the area of ​​Aswan, Kom Ombo and Edfu. Power generation on the Aswan High Dam has been important for the factories since 1968.

getting there

By train

The rock temples of Abu Simbel are among the most important temples in the governorate and in all of Egypt.
Kitchener Island Botanical Garden

Aswan is located on the Cairo-Minyā-Luxor-Edfu-Aswan railway line, which runs on the eastern bank of the Nile. Aswan Railway Station is located in the north of the city center. Other stops are in Edfu, Kom Ombo and Darau.

There is also a line from Aswan to the high dam (Sadd el-ʿAli). The line is in deficit and unreliable. Trains are often canceled. Official departure times are 6:00 am, 8:00 am and 11:30 am from Aswan.

By plane

There are two international airports in Aswan Governorate, the 1 Abu Simbel airportAbu Simbel Airport in the Wikipedia encyclopediaAbu Simbel Airport in the Wikimedia Commons media directoryAbu Simbel Airport (Q774216) in the Wikidata database(IATA: SECTION) and the 2 Aswan International AirportAswan International Airport in the Wikipedia encyclopediaAswan International Airport in the Wikimedia Commons media directoryAswan International Airport (Q752537) in the Wikidata database(IATA: ASW).

In the street

The border crossing 3 Qusṭul ashes, officially Gustul Land Port, Arabic:ميناء قسطل البري‎, Mīnāʾ Qusṭul al-Barrī, is currently the only road border crossing to and from the Sudan.

Between 4 Abu Simbel on the west side of Lake Nasser and Qusṭul There is a ferry connection on the east side. The Wadi-Halfa-Qustul highway to Sudan begins in Qusṭul. There is no road to continue from Qusṭul on the east side of Lake Nasser to the north.

By bus

The Sudanese bus company National Bus Travels Corporation offers four daily bus connections between Khartoum via Port Sudan, Wādī Ḥalfā to Aswan and Cairo at prices of 400–600 Sudanese pounds (as of 8/2014).

By boat

Of Aswan from there is one Ferry connection to Wadi Halfa on the east bank of the Aswan Reservoir in the Sudan. For a long time it was the only connection to Sudan by land or water. The ferry runs once a week, it starts on Mondays in Aswan towards Sudan and on Wednesdays in Wadi Halfa towards Egypt; the crossing takes about 20 hours. The ferry is a passenger ferry, bicycles and motorbikes can be taken along.

Are popular too Nile cruises. On the one hand, there is the route Cairo – Luxor - Aswan and on the other hand the one on Lake Nasser from Aswan to Abu Simbel.

mobility

Microbuses run from the larger cities of Edfu, Kom Ombo, Darau and Aswan to the surrounding towns. Taxis are also available in the cities mentioned.

North of Aswan, trunk roads run along the Nile on both sides of the river. South of Aswan, there is only a trunk road on the western bank of Lake Nasser. There are Nile bridges in directly in 5 Edfu and the 6 Suspension bridge north of Aswan. You can also go over the dams of the 7 old and 8 new dam reach the other bank south of Aswan.

Nile ferries continue to operate at 9 Darau according to Binbān el-Qiblī and 10 Faris south of Gebel es-Silsila. Two and a half kilometers south of the ferry to Fāris there will be one 11 new bridge built, which should enable a connection to the Luxor-Aswan motorway.

Tourist Attractions

First cataract of the Nile near Aswan

The areas in the Aswan Governorate have been settled since pre-dynastic times. The early archaeological sites in el-Kāb, on the Nile Island Elephantine and on the West bank of Aswan.

Numerous temples were built in the New Kingdom and Ptolemaic times. These include, among others. the famous plants in Abu Simbel, Philae, Kom Ombo and Edfu.

The area has been used for stone mining since Pharaonic times. So there are the well-known quarries for granite and rose granite Aswan, which i.a. were used to make obelisks. But sandstone was also used here. B. in the quarries of Gebel it-Silsila won for statues and temples.

And that too Nile becomes a sight here: the cataracts, especially near Aswan, offer breathtaking views of the landscape.

Especially in the villages you can get an impression of the Nubian architecture.

activities

Dahabīya on the Nile

Important activities include Boat tours on the Nile and on Lake Nasser. You don't necessarily have to have the big ones Cruise ships use. Trips on sailing ships such as feluccas, dahabīyen or a paddle steamer are much more romantic.

Sound and light shows are held several times a day at the Temple of Edfu, the Temple of Philae and the Great Temple of Abu Simbel. This is a special spectacle Sun miracle in Abu Simbel, which can be observed today on February 21st and October 21st. The rays of the morning sun reach the sanctuary of the Great Temple, and the figures of Re-Harachte, the deified Ramses II and Amun-Re are illuminated. It is no longer an insider tip. Every time, thousands of onlookers crowd for the cheapest possible spot.

In different Granite and sandstone quarries the mining history in ancient Egypt can be studied.

Several operators in Aswan are offering Fishing safaris on Lake Nasser.

From and to Aswan and Abu Simbel can be Desert safaris to el-Chārga or ed-Dāchla Companies.

security

The governorate is one of the safest areas in Egypt. There are no attacks like in other parts of Egypt.

At the moment, the archaeological sites from Aswan to after Abu Simbel not accessible for foreigners by car or taxi. Bus trips in convoys are possible. There is at least one convoy per day, several if necessary.

climate

Egypt belongs to the subtropical climate zone. This zone is characterized by a warm and dry desert climate.

AswanJanFebMarchAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec  
Mean highest air temperature in ° C232530353941414139362924O33.6
Average air temperature in ° C151822273134343331282217O26
Mean lowest air temperature in ° C91014192325262624211510O18.5
Precipitation in mm000000010100Σ2
Rainy days in the month00000000.500.2500Σ0.75
Relative humidity in%403224191716182122273642O26.2

holiday

The governorate national day is celebrated on January 15th. On January 15, 1971, the then Egyptian President Anwar as-Sādāt (1918–1981) solemnly opened the Aswan High Dam.

trips

The onward journey can be in the north in the governorate Luxor respectively.

With the reopening of the border crossing after Sudan In 2014, onward travel to southern Africa was made much easier. The archaeological sites of Sudan can also be thematically linked to those on Lake Nasser.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑Warner, Nicholas: Saving Bayt Clarke: a Mud Brick Masterpiece by the Nile.
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