Aswan, Egypt
Museum in Aswan, Egypt
The Nubian Museum, officially the International Museum of Nubia, opened in Aswan on 23 November 1997 as an outcome of the UNESCO-led campaign to save Nubia's monuments before the High Dam flooded the valley. The Egyptian architect Mahmoud El-Hakim designed it with Nubian building traditions in mind, and it won the Aga Khan Award for Architecture in 2001. The galleries tell Nubia's story from prehistory through the Nubian kingdoms and the Kushite kings who ruled Egypt, the Christian and Islamic periods, and on to the displacement of Nubian communities when Lake Nasser rose over their villages in the 1960s. Highlights include a colossal statue of Ramesses II, finds from the rescue campaign, and a life-size Nubian house with its decoration and tools that introduces Nubian customs, language and crafts. Around the building is a large landscaped garden with a waterfall, a cave with prehistoric rock art and reassembled tombs, looking over the neighbouring Fatimid cemetery.
Go early in your Aswan stay; it gives context for Philae, Abu Simbel and the Nubian villages. Allow two hours and leave time for the garden. The building is spacious and easy for families and older visitors. It is a short taxi ride from the corniche, and you can walk on to the Fatimid cemetery.
Hours and prices change — check before you go. Source: en.wikipedia.org
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AttractionAswan, Egypt
