Nubian Museum

Aswan, Egypt

The Nubian Museum was founded in response to the international salvage campaign of the ancient Nubian monuments initiated by UNESCO upon the request of the Egyptian government in 1960. Work on establishing the Nubian Museum began in the early 1980s when a committee was formed comprising of specialists from the Supreme Council of Antiquities, Egyptian universities, and UNESCO.

The task of designing the building was entrusted to the architect Dr. Mahmoud Al-Hakim, and the museum’s interior was designed by the Mexican engineer Pedro Ramirez Vazquez, whose job it was to exhibit the archaeological, historical, cultural, and environmental heritage of Nubia. The Nubian Museum was opened in 1997, with its distinctive architectural design clad in local sandstone and pink granite, reflecting traditional local Nubian architecture. In 2001 it was awarded the Agha Khan Award for Islamic Architecture.

The museum has three floors, exhibiting thousands of artefacts that shed light on the development of Egyptian and Nubian geographical, social, and cultural civilization. The main exhibition hall and diorama present the local traditions and handicrafts of Nubia. In addition to the exhibition galleries, the museum also holds a lecture hall, library, educational department, theatre, and an open amphitheatre for the presentation of Nubian folklore.

The garden attached to the museum serves as an open-air museum that includes a part of a Fatimid cemetery, a cave with prehistoric rock inscriptions, and a waterway symbolising the artery of ancient Egyptian civilization, the River Nile. A series of water channels demonstrates the relationship between the river and the Nubian village surrounded by plants that would have been common in ancient times. A reconstruction of a Nubian house offers a glimpse into the daily life of the Egyptians in Nubia.

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Address

Aswan, Egypt
See all sites in Aswan

Details

Founded: 1997
Category: Museums in Egypt

Rating

4.6/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Tamer Momtaz (41 days ago)
I'm so glad I visited the Nubian Museum. It's a hidden gem with fascinating exhibits and beautiful grounds. This place rivals some of the most famous museums in the world. I learned so much about the history of Nubia, and there's a ton of stuff here you won't find anywhere else.
Gehan Abdalazeez (45 days ago)
Such a must visit museum, I have learnt a lot about Nubian great history and enjoyed lots of the most valuable discoveries. Also a lot about Nubian nation and their traditions, habits and ceremonies and celebrations. The best thing I was visiting it with a Nubian friend so he add more to me also. I spent an amazing week at Aswan island living and hanging out with Nubian families it was a blessing
Nermin Gerges (2 months ago)
It is an interesting museum to visit and verse. The layout is comfortable but a bit confusing to figure unless you're going with a guide, then it would be more interesting and easy to navigate. I added one image from outside the museum looking over the Old Cataract, and two images of the two most interesting statues I saw and loved. If you're on your own, take your time versing through everything, make sure you ask where to start every section (so you won't end up walking backwards), and if you want to make it better, do ask for a guide to show you around.
Mara alex (4 months ago)
At the beginning i had underrated it because i had my mind full of memories of Cairo's museums. But it is a very precious treasure with marvellous archaeological finds. Very very interesting!
Seokjin Ham (6 months ago)
Nubia's archaeological, historical, cultural and environmental heritage is on display. A committee was formed to establish the museum in the early 1980s, and the museum opened in 1997. Covered in local sandstone and pink granite, the architecture reflects traditional Nubian styles. There are Egyptian ancient artifacts representing various eras, including the geological era, the Pharaonic era, the Roman era, the Coptic era, and the Islamic era. The outdoor museum is also worth a visit.
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