• Aswan souk

    Our favourite

    One long covered street a block back from the river: hibiscus, Nubian basketry, spices.

    AswanSouk

    BudgetHandmade
  • Aswan's corniche after dark

    Black water, moored feluccas, and headlights sliding along the parapet.

    AswanCorniche

    BudgetNile view
  • The cafés of the Aswan corniche

    Tea beside the calmest stretch of the Nile in Egypt, with feluccas gliding past.

    AswanCorniche, Aswan

    BudgetNile view
  • Hand-woven baskets with their handles, stacked one against another.

    Nubian crafts in Gharb Soheil

    Woven baskets, necklaces and spices sold in the painted houses of the Nubian village.

    AswanGharb Soheil, Aswan

    BudgetHandmade
  • Wooden skin drums set down in the evening light.

    Nubian evenings in Gharb Soheil

    Drums, songs and dancing in the village houses, after dinner.

    AswanGharb Soheil, Aswan

    BudgetWhere locals go
  • A split granite block standing in the middle of a stone quarry.

    Aswan's granite quarries

    The worksite that produced the obelisks and colossi of all Egypt.

    AswanAswan

    BudgetHistoric venue
  • A mound of dried chillies in a woven tray, beside a basket of turmeric roots.

    Aswan's Nubian market

    Pyramids of spices, karkadeh, baskets and perfumes, over a kilometre of street.

    AswanSharia el-Souk, Aswan

    BudgetHandmade
  • A table laid with stews, rice, hummus and flatbreads.

    Aswan's Nubian kitchens

    Mild tagines, spiced rice and flatbreads, served in the village houses.

    AswanWest bank and islands, Aswan

    BudgetWhere locals go
  • A foil tray of pasta, rice and chickpeas, topped with tomato sauce ladled over it.

    The tables of Edfu

    Off the beaten track

    Grills and koshari in a town the cruises pass through without stopping.

    AswanEdfu

    BudgetWhere locals go