Aswan stands on the east bank of the
Nile and is a busy market and tourist center.
Aswan's location is
at the first Cataract of the Nile,
which provided a natural boundary between Egypt and Nubians.
In the
Nile the island of Elephantine, which
is the largest of the Aswan area islands, and is one of the most
ancient sites in Egypt, with artifacts dating to predynastic
periods.
Abu Simbel is an archaeological site
comprising two massive rock temples in southern Egypt on the western
bank of Lake Nasser about 290 km
southwest of Aswan. It is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site
known as the "Nubian Monuments", which run from Abu Simbel downriver
to Philae (near Aswan).
