Favourite Nile-Side Bazaar Town
Nile Valley, Egypt
Aswan usually becomes most visitors’ favourite city after a day or so and it’s easy to see why. The Nile is at its most beautiful here and there’s much to occupy a traveller for a day or two or indeed longer, from exploring the river and its Nubian villages, shopping in the souq to exploring Egypt’s most romantic temples.
Background
Aswan certainly feels like a frontier town located as it is at the gateway to Nubia. The tall, dark-skinned Nubian peoples’ homeland stretches south from Aswan into today’s Sudan. In ancient times the area was a centre for the Pharaonic Cult of Khnum, the ram-headed god. Today its souqs are crammed full of spices, fruit and veg and oriental souvenirs. Felucca captains ply their trade on the elegant Nile-side Corniche whilst women with shopping piled high on their heads catch the ferry back to their villages on the west bank.
Relaxing
Entertainment in Aswan is very low-key. The city has several 5* hotels with occasional floor shows open to non-residents, but for a more authentic experience eschew these in favour of the floating Nileside restaurants along the Corniche. Other options are limited but include chatting with locals over a glass of tea and a sheesha in a coffee-house and a sunset felucca trip on the Nile.