Nubian Museum Aswan Egypt tours, prices, booking, reviews
Nubian museum Aswan Egypt designed by Mahmoud Al Hakim. He created the museum building in harmony with the surroundings. In fact, the surroundings include huge rocks, small mountains and the shining sun of Aswan. The museum opened in 1997. The beautiful lines of its architecture are worth to see. The museum nestled into the hillside. It covers 50,000 square meters of landscaped gardens and buildings. The gardens and buildings divided up into different sections. The Nubian museum Aswan indeed is a gateway in the history of Nubia. It lets visitors understand the complex history of this unique area. In the museum, each exhibit has a description note underneath it. In fact, it written in Arabic and English languages.
The first place which attracts the attention of the visitor is the garden of the museum. It hosts more than eighty historical statues and historical rocks. Some of them belong to the gods of ancient Nubia. There are also some artificial lakes and waterfalls. In fact, they serve as a demo of the river Nile and its flow to the lands of Nubia. A lot of wild plants cultivated in this area. The area space is thirty four thousand meters. This section also has a theater which hosts regular Nubian dances for visitors. In fact, it shows to a unique folklore. Moreover, there is also a cave which contains ancient drawings. The Nubian museum Aswan consists of two floors. The ground floor contains the main gates of the museum and the exhibition halls. It also has the visitors reception hall.
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The first floor contains an information center and culture activities center. It also has another exhibition hall. Entering the building of the museum, visitor has to walk in a circle to the left. It is to go to the starting point of the tour. The tour starts with the antiquities which found in Nubia 3500 BC. The most important exhibits in this section includes a bone comb with two giraffes. They carved on the handle. This section also has Vessel which made out of an ostrich egg and decorated with incisions. It also has a Paleolithic hand axes. The next area of Nubian Museum Aswan called “Group A”. It shows the relation between the people in Southern Egypt and the people in Nubia. In fact, this relation built on trading of raw materials, wood and ivory. It is clear that there was a trading center in the Elephantine Island.
The most important displays of this section are the polished quartz cosmetic palette. It used for crushing galena powder and for eye make up. The section also has a vessel which decorated with a rowing boat. It is with many oars, ostriches and undulating lines symbolizing water. “Group C” tells the story of the new civilization which started in Nubia. It was after the decline of the period of pyramids building. Exhibits of this section include Female who figures typical of the C group style. It dates back to 1900 – 1550 BC. The Egyptian control over Nubia declined starting from the end of the 21 dynasty. It was around the year 1050 BC. In the year 900 BC, a new power controlled a huge part of Nubia. It remained there for more than 1000 years.
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This new civilization called Kosh which is the name the Egyptians gave to Nubia at this time. This era divided into two sections. The first one is The Napata which continued until the year 270 BC. The second one is Merow which continued until the fall of this kingdom in the year 320 AD. In this era is that Nubia went away from the Egyptian domination. The area which started after the previous one has its own culture and habits. It also has it own language which transformed to be the language of the Meroitic. The most important exhibits of this section are tulip pots from the Kerma culture. The section also has an ancient pot with a handle. It also has a Meroitic offering table on which can seen Meroitic writes. It also has a crouching baby lion fashioned in clay.
Moreover, the section has a statue of Harawa who was the Great Steward of Amenardis. It also has a Statue of King Taharqa, younger brother of Shabatka,. He wears the Kushite cap crown. Furthermore, the section has a statue of Amenardis. Amenardis was the first Nubian princess to hold the important title of Divine wife of Amun. The next section shows Nubia during the Ptolemaic and Roman era. They ruled in the same time as the Meroitic civilization. Both kingdoms held good relations together. It was until the Ptolemies were able to take control of a part of lower Nubia. Since then, they built many popular monuments like Philae temple and Kalabsha temple. They also built Dakka temple.
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After the decline of the Meroitic civilization, the people of Nubia moved to the north. They looked for more secured means of life. They established the Ballana civilization. In fact, this civilization indeed is the richest culture which ever created in Nubia. Ballana culture was a combination of many different thoughts from a variety of places. The displays of the Ballana section in the Nubian Museum Aswan contain a Pair of silver bracelets. The ends of each feature stylized lion heads. They also represented by an Oil lamp in the shape of a pigeon and silver diadems. In addition, they also include a gaming board from the 3rd century. It was a sort of backgammon with 15 ivory and 15 ebony pieces. It also has Incense burner in the form of a stylized lion. A huge number of Nubia inhabitants transformed Christianity.
It was When the Christian religion introduced in Nubia. In fact, it affected every aspect of the lives of the Nubian. And then, the Nubian started to build churches and monasteries. It was to to practice the rituals of their new religion. Christianity also affected the type and style of art of the period. Christian displays in the Nubian Museum Aswan include a wooden Coptic cross. They also include a Coptic prayer book which contains Coptic inscriptions. Moreover, they include Byzantine-style fresco from the church of 10th century. Furthermore, they also include a Fragment of a linen shroud depicting a human face. When the Muslims opened Egypt in 641 AC, Islam became the official religion in Egypt. However in Nubia Islam took some time to replace the dominant Christian beliefs.
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On 16th century, most of the Nubian people changed their religion to become Muslims. The Islamic section at the Nubian Museum Aswan includes a child’s tunic. It is from the Fatimid period. The section also has a Tombstone from the Fatimid period 968-1070 AC. Furthermore, it has a water vessel from the Mamluk period. The Nubia Museum Aswan has the modern Nubia section. In fact, it shows the lives of Nubian people today and a few decades ago. This section includes Silver pendant and anklets. It also includes a lot of Nubian handcrafts and a rassan chain worn on the forehead. Moreover, it also includes a pectoral which named the Bey necklace. The Museum indeed is one of the most distinctive museums of Egypt. It has more than 500 thousand displays. The displays tells the story of Nubia since prehistoric ears until today.
How to get to the Nubian Museum Aswan Egypt:
The Aswan located east of the Old Cataract Hotel. It is at the southern entrance to the town and about half an hour’s walk from the town center. Entrance ticket to the museum costs 120 Egyptian pound.
