Is Elephantine island worth a visit?

The island is in the form of elephant tusks standing in the water. Elephantine Island offers a variety of attractions to anyone visiting the beautiful city of Aswan.

It has a total size of 1,200 meters from north to south and 400 meters at its widest point. Elephantine and the other adjacent islands are visible from the hillside of the West Bank along the Nile and lie downstream from the first cataract in the Nile, in the border between Upper Egypt and Nubia Lower.
It is possible to reach Elephantine Island by ferry or on a felucca that can be rented from the river banks in Aswan.

Elephantine Island in ancient times
The first temple built on the island was the Satet Temple around 3000 BC. The temple has undergone restorations and alterations over the past 3,000 years. Records indicate the existence of an Egyptian temple to Khunum in the Third Dynasty, which was completely rebuilt during the Thirtieth Dynasty in pre-Greco-Roman Egypt.
Nilometer

In ancient times, before the city of Aswan existed, Elephantine Island was the site of a Pharaonic-era trading city called Swenet, which used the island and the turbulent waters of the First Cataract as protection from attack. Its strategic location just below the waterfall made it an important trading center, where caravans coming from the south unloaded their goods to take them north on the river. Elephantine Island was also an important trading center for the ivory trade, providing granite for the construction of many buildings in ancient Egypt.
Behind this pharaonic settlement is the Temple of Khnum, which dates back to the late Pharaonic era, and other partially excavated ruins that dot the rest of the island. The island also hosts the Aswan Museum and an ancient nilometer in the form of ancient staircases leading to water cut into the rock and marked with Arabic, Roman and Pharaonic numerals. In the middle of the island, palm groves hide two Nubian villages that regularly host tourists and beautiful scenery along the river. There is also a luxury hotel, Movenpick Aswan, located at its northern end.
Temples of Elephantine Island

Another popular attraction for tourists visiting Elephantine Island. It is the measure of the Nile. It was originally built to measure the level and clarity of the Nile waters during the annual flood season.
The Nilometer is located in the corridor that is linked to the Temple of Satis.

Aswan Museum

The Aswan Museum is located in the southeastern side of Aswan on Elephantine Island, and it is a popular site among the tourists visiting this area. The Aswan Museum has been open to the public since 1912, and contains many artifacts that tell the story of the Nuba region. Another section of the museum was opened in 1990 which displays objects discovered on the grounds of Elephantine Island itself, and items such as pottery, mummies, weapons and utensils. Many of these objects and artifacts were discovered by the German Archaeological Institute, including the mummified ram of Khnum, and a rare calendar known as the Elephantine Calendar of objects from the reign of Thutmose III.

Animelia Museum

The Animalia Museum is an information center about life, nature and culture, and it is an ethno-biological museum consisting of three parts. The traditional house and museum of the animals that live in the area (reptiles, birds, fish and insects) and the roof terrace where drinks, lunch and fast food are served. Lectures about the region are also given, and a bird watching tour of the Nile is organized by professional guides. Do not hesitate and visit it with your family and friends and enjoy learning about the nature of life in the region and the biodiversity in Nubia and the city of Aswan. It’s a really cool museum and really worth a visit!