Travel from Greece to Egypt - Tour Packages - Aswan, Egypt Sightseeing, Package Tours to Philae Island, Luxor & Karnak
Aswan Approximately 900 kilometers south of Cairo, along the Nile, is the beautiful town of Aswan, with an endless bazaar and a magical atmosphere.
The area is most famous for the Aswan Dam, a structure that holds back the man-made Lake Nasser, built originally to prevent the flooding of the Nile and to provide Egypt with hydroelectricity. The dam is 114 meters high, 4 kilometers long and has a base width of 980 meters.
In Aswan, there are a number of sites to visit, such as:
The Unfinished Obelisk, giant in size (41 meters high and 1,680 tons in weight).
The Tombs of the Nobles, from the Old and Middle Kingdom that date back to the 23rd century BC. On the walls of the tombs, there are fascinating inscriptions of the nobelmen's journeys and other activities.
The Monastery of St. Simeon, with its splendid frescoes, built in the 6th century AD
The Agha Khan Mausoleum, a masterpiece of Islamic architecture
The Temple of Satet on Elephantine Island, commissioned by Queen Hatshepsut, in 1,480 BC.
Philae Island / The Temple of Isis With the construction of the Aswan Dam, the Island of Philae was totally submerged underwater, forcing authorities to move the monuments that were situated on Philae Island to the Agilika Island.
The Philae Temple, dedicated to the goddess Isis, is basically a complex of temples and sanctuaries that honor Isis and her husband Osiris (the Temple of Hadrian, the Temple of Hathor, the Vestibule of Nectanebos I, the Pharaoh's Bed, the Birth House and the two Pylons. In the evening, the temple complex is a vision of utter beauty, as the sound and light show explains the story of the buildings, by flooding them with light that reflects on the water.
Luxor & Karnak The area of Luxor, once named Thebes, is "the city of one hundred gates". During the 10 th dynasty, Luxor was an important city due mainly to its geographical location and later became the capital of Egypt in the New Kingdom. The city worshipped Amun, Mut and Khonsu with great reverence. It was here that the fertility celebration called the Opet Festival was held every year. Statues of Amun and his wife Mut were housed separately and once a year the two statues were brought together. The statue of Amun from the Karnak Temple would be taken to the Luxor Temples, where it would stay with the statue of Mut. Today, Luxor is considered the largest outdoor museum and an archaeological jewel of the world.
The main monuments in the Luxor - Karnak area are:
The Temple of Luxor: first commissioned by Amenhotep III in the 14 th century BC. Various small additions were made by Horenheb, Tutankhamun and Akenaten, but it was Ramses II who really undertook the largest extension of the temple complex. As it stands at present, the temple's main architectural structure was the work of Amenhotep III (indoor areas) and Ramses II (outdoor areas). Later Alexander the Great ordered the restoration of the temple complex and even built a cartouche dedicated to Amun.
The Temple of Karnak: dedicated to Amun, Ptah and Khonsu. It was built over a period of 2 thousand years, with constant extensions and additions made to the original structure, which dates back to the 11 th dynasty. Inside the temple is a gigantic hall with 16 rows of 134 columns in total, made of sandstone. Other attractions of the Temple of Karnak are the Sphinx Avenue that connects the Temple of Karnak to the Temple of Luxor, the two obelisks, the Scarabeus and the Sacred Lake.
The Temples of the West Bank: an exquisite site that includes many wonderful monuments such as the Temple of Hatshapsut, the Colossi of Memnon, the Temple of Ramses and the Ramesseum.
The Valley of the Kings: the tomb site of the Kings, Queens, noblemen and high officials of Egypt. The site is separated into two sections: the east and the west. In the eastern section are the tombs of the members of the royal family, including Seti I, Tutankhamun, Haremhab, Ramses III, Thutmosis III, Nefertari, Amun-her-Chepeshef, Titi and Cha-em-Waset.
Aswan 
