Kalabsha Temple and Nubian Museum Tour

Try Kalabsha Temple and Nubian Museum Tour, from our wide selections of Aswan Day Trips and visit Kalabsha Temple which was originally built on much earlier site that dates back to the 18th dynasty and most probably goes back to king Thothmosis and Amenhotep II and after the construction of the High Dam the temple was disassembled and reconstructed at its present location. Explore the Nubian Museum which opened its doors in November 1997 and includes three thousand pieces of antiquities representing various ages; Geological, Pharaonic, Roman, Coptic and Islamic.

Kalabsha Temple is an impressive Ptolemaic and Roman structure, not unlike nearby Philae in its layout. The early 19th-century Swiss traveller Burckhardt (who rediscovered Abu Simbel) thought it was 'amongst the most precious remains of Egyptian antiquity'. The temple, started in the late Ptolemaic period and completed during the reign of Emperor Augustus (30 BC–AD 14), was dedicated to the Nubian solar god Merwel, known to the Greeks as Mandulis. Later it was used as a church.

An impressive stone causeway leads from the lake to the first pylon of the temple, beyond which are the colonnaded court and the eight-columned hypostyle hall. Inscriptions on the walls show various emperors or pharaohs in the presence of gods and goddesses. Just beyond the hall is the sanctuary, consisting of three chambers. Stairs from one chamber lead up to the roof, from where there are superb views of Lake Nasser and the High Dam, across the capitals of the hall and court. An inner passage, between the temple and the encircling wall, leads to a well-preserved Nilometer. The temple's original outer stone gateway was given by the Egyptian government to Germany in 1977, in thanks for helping to move this building. It is now in the Egyptian Museum, Berlin.

As a result of a massive UNESCO effort, the temples here were transplanted from a now-submerged site about 50km south of Aswan. The new site is on the west bank of Lake Nasser just south of the High Dam.

When the water level is low you can sometimes walk across to the site; otherwise, you can find a motor boat on the western side of the High Dam (around LE60 for the return trip and an hour to visit).

Then visit Nubia Museum, opposite Basma Hotel, is a treat, a showcase of the history, art and culture of Nubia. Established in 1997 in cooperation with UNESCO, the museum is a reminder of what was lost beneath Lake Nasser. Exhibits are beautifully displayed in huge halls, where clearly written explanations take you from 4500 BC through to the present day.

The exhibits start with prehistoric artefacts and objects from the Kingdom of Kush and Meroe. Coptic and Islamic art displays lead to a description of the massive UNESCO project to move Nubia’s most important historic monuments away from the rising waters of Lake Nasser, following the building of the Aswan High Dam.

Among the museum highlights are 6000-year-old painted pottery bowls and an impressive quartzite statue of a 25th-dynasty priest of Amun in Thebes with distinct Kushite (Upper Nubian) features. The stunning horse armour found in tombs from the Ballana period (5th to 7th centuries BC) shows the sophistication of artisanship during this brief ascendancy. A fascinating display traces the development of irrigation along the Nile, from the earliest attempts to control the flow of the river, right up to the building of the old Aswan Dam. A model of a Nubian house, complete with old furniture and mannequins wearing traditional silver jewellery, attempts to portray the folk culture of modern Nubia.

Enjoy Kalabsha Temple and Nubian Museum Tour

Flying Carpet Tours delegate will pick you up at your hotel in Aswan, and you’ll be transferred by a private A/C vehicle to the enchanting Temple of Kalabsha which is located close to Lake Nasser, near the western end of Aswan High Dam. Unleash your inner and know more about the temple that was built by Toutmosis II and Amenophis II at Kalabsha 50 km south of Aswan and then disassembled and reconstructed at its present location after the construction of the High Dam. Feast your soul and move to explore the Nubian Museum which was opened its doors in November 1997 and includes three thousand pieces of antiquities. Finally Flying Carpet Tours guide will escort you back to your hotel in Aswan.

Included

• Pick up and drop off to your hotel in Aswan

• Excursion to Kalabsha Temple and Nubian Museum

• Entrance fees to the above mentioned sites

• English speaking guide to the sites mentioned above

• Bottle of Mineral Water during the Excursion

• All transfers by air-conditioned Van

• All service charges and taxes

Excluded

• Visa to Egypt

• Any optional tours required

• Tipping