The 3rd largest city in Egypt, and the biggest in Upper Egypt, Aswan is one of the favorite places in the tourism of Egypt. The city is a major mining area for metals like aluminum and iron and it is a major stop for the cruise boats, most of the Nile cruises sailing between Aswan and Luxor, and vice-versa. The local market is a great place for holiday shopping, providing some of the best types of fresh spices. Aswan (derived from the Ancient Egyptian “swan” which means “the market”) is located on the main trading route between Egypt and the southern lands, where gold, slaves and ivory passed into Egypt. It was also the major material source for the construction of the numerous monuments through Egypt, supplying the constructors with granite, sandstone and quartzite. With a population of around 1.2 million the city became very important after the construction of the High Dam. In ancient times, the God of the city was Khoum, but later, Isis, the Goddess of magic and maternity, became the main patron God, and had a temple raised for her at Philae. The city has a very hot climate all year long, because of it’s location just north of the Tropic of Cancer.
When visiting Aswan, one should not miss the Unfinished Obelisk, the High Dam, the Tomb Chapels Of The Nobles, Elephantine Island, the Botanical Island, and the Temples of Kom Ombo, Edfu, Philae and Abu Simbel.
The Unfinished Obelisk
In ancient times, the Egyptians believed the so called “Pn-pn” symbolized the primeval hill from which the world first appeared. It was a stone, pyramidal and with a pointed top. In time, this “Pn-pn” evolved to be an obelisk. Made of granite, with a pyramidal shape on top, the Unfinished Obelisk lies in a granit quarry in Aswan. It’s construction was abandoned when some cracks appeared in the rock. It is 42m tall, and if it had been completed it would have been the heaviest obelisk ever made in Ancient Egypt, at near 1100 tons. It began to play an important role in the temples of Ra the Sun God, the obelisk being a sacred symbol of the Cult of the Sun. They were built in an open court, on a great base, and as the sun was shining above it’s top, the light was filling the temples, showing the people a symbol of the Sun’s power.
The High Dam
The High Dam was one of the most important achievements of Egypt in the last century and it provided Egypt with water and electricity. It has secured the country of the risk of destructive inundations of the Nile. It was constructed between 1960 and 1971, and it’s 111m tall, 1km wide and has a length of 3.5km. With it’s 6 turbines, it can produce 2.1 million KW. From it’s construction resulted the largest man-made lake in the world, Lake Nasser, about 10km wide and 500km long, extending between Egypt and Sudan. It also has a huge fish population which is commercially exploited.
Global Treasures - Aswan
Temples - for information on the Temples click here to go to Tourist Egypt – Temples.
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