Amazing tour to Nobles Tombs at Qubbet El Hawa, the 7th-century Monastery of St, Simeon, and the stunning Botanical Island in Aswan with your professional tour guide. This tour offers a unique opportunity to explore the rich history and natural beauty of Aswan. Discover the ancient nobles tombs, where you can witness the fascinating burial sites of the nobles of ancient Egypt. Visit the St. Simeon Monastery, a remarkable religious site that dates back to the 7th century. Lastly, immerse yourself in the tranquility of the Botanical Island, home to a diverse range of plant species. Join us on this captivating journey as we delve into the wonders of Aswan’s past and present.
Children from 0 – 5 years are free of charge
Children from 6 – 11 years get 50% off
Children from 12 years are considered adults
Explore the hidden gems of Aswan with our exclusive Aswan day tours. You will meet your guide at your hotel reception to commence your tour to Nobles tombs, St, Simeon Monastery and Botanical Island in Aswan.
It will be great to begin the tour to Nobles tombs with the Nobles tombs themselves. The sand-covered hills of the West Bank dominate the river’s cape of Aswan. These hills are strewn with rock-cut tombs of high-status officials from the Old and Middle Kingdoms. A domed tomb of a Muslim sheikh sits at the crest of the hill, giving the hill its local name, Qubbet el-Hawa or ‘Dome of the Winds
Then your tour to Nobles tombs takes you by boat or by camel to the Monastery of St. Simeon. The Monastery of Anba Hatre lies south of Elephantine Island on the west bank of the Nile. Churches appeared in this area of Aswan as early as the third century. Now, only the ruins of some ancient churches remain, along with two monasteries: the Monastery of Anba Hatre and the Monastery at Qubbet Al-Hawa.
The Monastery of Anba Hatre gets its name from an anchorite consecrated a bishop by Patriarch Theophilus. He died during the reign of Emperor Theodosius I (379-395). By the sixth century, a monastic settlement existed around Anba Hatre’s hermitage. Rebuilt extensively in the eleventh century, it was abandoned by the end of the thirteenth century. Over time, people began to refer to it as the Monastery of St. Simon.
You will finish your tour to Nobles tombs at the lovely Botanical Island. Kitchener’s Island (now locally known in Arabic as Geziret an-Nabatat, which translates as “island of plants”) is a small, oval-shaped island in the Nile at Aswan.
The island was given to Lord Horatio Kitchener in the 1890s for his part in the Sudanese campaigns while he was the Egyptian Consul. Kitchener, who was a keen gardener turned his island home into a botanical garden, importing unfamiliar plants and trees which flourished in the Aswan climate. It was called King’s Island during the time of King Farouk, and since the time of President Nasser, it has been called Aswan Botanical Island/Garden.
Conclude your tour to Nobles tombs, St, Simeon Monastery and Botanical Island with a transfer back to your hotel.
