For our last day on the Nile, we spent it visiting a few more sites in Aswan before heading to the airport. First up was the High Dam.
The High Dam in Egypt is one of the largest hydroelectric dams in the world. It was built between 1960 and 1970. It’s huge as it spans over 3.8 kilometers in length and 111 meters in height!
The dam was constructed to control the annual flooding of the Nile. You know, the same flooding that caused Abu Simbel and (as you’ll read later on) the Philae Temple to need to be relocated. But it also stimulates local agriculture by providing water for irrigation. And lastly, it also provides hydroelectric power to the local community.
A side effect of constructing the dam is that it also created Lake Nasser. Lake Nasser is one of the largest man-made lakes in the world and it is breathtaking.
After the High Dam, we visited the Philae Temple. It is an ancient temple constructed in the third century BC for the goddess Isis.
Just like Abu Simbel temples were relocated, the Philae Temple was also relocated. It was moved to Agilkia Island in the 1960s to protect it from the Nile’s flooding.
Admission Costs:
The cost to visit Philae is E£300 for adult sand E£150 for students.
It is open daily from 7:00 Am – 4:00 PM.
Our last stop in Aswan was to see the Unfinished Obelisk.
Some quick facts:
- It was built around 1450 BC
- Queen Hatshepsut ordered it to be built
- It was never finished due to a large crack
- The obelisk was made from red granite
- It is estimated to weigh around 1,200 tons
- It would have stood 42 meters tall
Admission Costs:
It is open daily from 7:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
We managed to squeeze all of these sites in before lunch. Omar, our awesome guide, took us to this hidden little restaurant with the best food. I never learned the name of the restaurant, but Omar ordered a buffet for us. Egyptian (and all Mediterranean food) is one of my favorite foods.
Honestly, this isn’t even everything. I just couldn’t get it all in one photo.
After lunch, we went to the airport for a quick flight back to Cairo. We checked back into the Ramses Hilton for our last leg of the trip. Only a few days left to explore Cairo!
If you missed us exploring Abu Simbel, you can read about it here!
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