The stunning city of Aswan is one of the top-rated Egyptian tourist cities that used to be considered by most Egyptians and tourists as the first winter resort in Egypt tours with the sister city that has a lot of temples Luxor day tours. This flourished city is located in southern Egypt, about 900 KM from Cairo, the Egyptian capital.
Aswan is a very rich city and really it has a lot to offer! Besides its perfect weather all year round, the awesome city of Aswan has some of the most remarkable historical sites that travelers should not miss, while visiting Egypt for a few days during their Egypt tour packages, including the marvelous Temple of Philae, the High Dam, the Unfinished Obelisk, the Nubian Museum, the fantastic islands, and the tourist souq “market” All those on Aswan day tours.
Officially Aswan is the last city in Egypt from the South, that’s why it is considered to be the source of water for the Egyptian country and really this strategic location makes Aswan a very important city for the Egyptian governments over the years. Moreover, the city is located about 210 KM to the south of the excursions of Luxor, more than 850 KM to the south of Cairo day tours, and about 515 KM away from the city of excursions in Hurghada on the Red Sea shores. From Aswan city, you can move to discover a lot of Egypt shore excursions due to its strategic location.
The name “Aswan” is not the original name of the city; however, the current name was originally derived from the word “SONO” in the ancient Egyptian language, which means the large market. Aswan was so called because it was the main and the most important trade center for Egypt in the Pharaonic times due to its strategic location on the Nile, close to the Nile Valley, which made it the main gate for trading between Egypt and Africa. Afterward, the Romans and Arabs changed the name to become “Aswan”.
Since the Pharaonic times, the Egyptians knew how important Aswan protect and secure the Southern borders of the country against any attacks coming from the neighbors in Africa. That’s why the ancient Egyptian kings insisted to improve it by constructing many temples like the one of the goddess Isis, known as Philae Temple at the time. You can listen to this story and more through a sound and light show at Philae temple that is well organized and worth the experience.
On other hand, the kings of the Middle Kingdom were powerful enough to secure the city of Aswan, control Nubia, and rule parts of Sudan a try to secure the Southern borders of the Egyptian empire. The same thing lasted during the Ptolemaic era, as the Ptolemies, recognized the importance of Aswan city, so they decided to rebuild the well-known Temple of Philae, which was dedicated to the worship of goddess Isis, mother of god Horus. Contact Vantage international travel team to organize full Egypt luxury tours with professional tour guides to explain to you the history of Aswan practically.
At the beginning of the 4th century AD, many Egyptians converted to Christianity and the Roman Emperors – during that time – tried to get rid of Egyptian Copts. That’s why most of them resorted to Aswan and the location of Philae Temple became an important center for the Egyptian Copts. But, when the Muslims took control of Egypt, the situation completely changed and the city of Aswan gained more importance for trade, even the Egyptian trade expanded to include some towns in the Arabian world.
Aswan today is a favorite resort for Egyptians and tourists, who would like to spend an unforgettable vacation in Egypt and try various kinds of tourism in the city like visiting the impressive temples, exploring the royal tombs at the Nubian Museum, or even sailing down the Nile through Egypt Nile cruises from Aswan to Luxor in the north or to Abu Simbel day tour in the south! Visiting Aswan is really one of the most important things one should consider while planning for a tour remember in Egypt.
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