Aquaman Aswan

Gliding across the upper Nile beneath Philae revives a four-decade-old Egyptian open-water marathon tradition. Known as Aquaman Aswan, this open water swimming race takes place in the Nile River at Aswan, in southern Egypt. The event, organized by Aquaman Open Water Swimming, marks the revival of the historic International Nile Swim, bringing distance swimmers back to the dramatic waters facing the island temples. All courses start and finish right at the water's edge by the Aro Kato Hotel. Swimmers can choose from an array of challenges, including 500-metre sprint dashes, a 1,000-metre event with fins, 1,500-metre and 2,000-metre swims, longer 4,000-metre tests, and a premier 8,000-metre marathon, alongside a 3x500-metre team relay.

Over 1,000 competitors from more than 24 countries have taken to the Nile, cheered on by an equal number of spectators gathered along the banks. {{h2:Philae and Agilkia: temples saved from the river}} The original Philae Island sat near the First Cataract of the Nile, shaped naturally like a bird. When rising river waters threatened to submerge these sanctuaries permanently, engineers erected a massive cofferdam between 1974 and 1976. Every stone monument was dismantled and meticulously reassembled on Agilkia Island, leaving only the original island's highest rocky crown and parts of the cofferdam visible above the reservoir surface just three hundred metres away. Beneath the surface, the riverbed continues to yield ancient treasures: in July 2024, underwater surveys revealed submerged rock carvings and stelae dating from the Eighteenth Dynasty to the Late Period.

Elephantine Island: ancient nilometers and granite boulder shrines

Just downstream of the first cataract lies Elephantine Island, an outpost that fortified Ancient Egypt's southern frontier as early as the First Dynasty around 3000 BC. For centuries, this rocky island served as a critical quarry across the kingdom. On its southern tip, an ancient step pyramid still stands parallel to the western shore, built from large hewn blocks held fast by a mortar of Nile mud and sand. Ancient belief held that the god Khnum guarded the Nile waters from hidden caves beneath Elephantine. Near these sacred waters, around 3200 BC, priests established the Temple of Satet, dedicated to the goddess personifying the annual Nile flood. Two ancient nilometers still remain on Elephantine to measure the seasonal rise of the river, including one with ninety stone steps carved with hieroglyphic, Roman, and Arabic numerals.

Qubbet el-Hawa: tombs and sand cliffs across the Nile

Directly across the Nile from Aswan rises Qubbet el-Hawa, a 130-metre rocky bluff cut into the western desert. The steep cliff face features rows of rock-cut tombs belonging to high-ranking provincial governors, set on artificial terraces overlooking the river. In 2019, archaeologists uncovered ten mummified crocodiles between 1.8 and 3.5 metres long inside burial chambers beneath a Byzantine dump, testifying to the river's ancient animal cults. Higher up the western hillside, the Aga Khan Mausoleum looks out across the river valley. Built from pink limestone and modeled after medieval Fatimid tombs, the structure sits above the winter villa where the Aga Khan III and Begum Om Habibeh once stayed.

The Aswan waterfront: Corniche, feluccas, and Kitchener's Island

Above Aswan, the river widens to nearly 650 metres before setting off on an unobstructed 1,200-kilometre course toward the sea. Along the eastern shore, the Aswan Nile Corniche offers a multi-level glass promenade with panoramic views out over the islands. Traditional wooden feluccas ferry passengers out toward El Nabatat Island, an oval botanical haven measuring less than a kilometre in length. Gifted to Lord Kitchener during his tenure as Consul-General, the 750-metre island was planted with exotic trees and shrubs that create a lush tropical canopy in the middle of the river. The shoreline is anchored by the historic Old Cataract Hotel, where rooms in the Nile Wing feature balconies gazing directly across the river currents. After swimming the Nile, it completes an unforgettable pilgrimage to Egypt's eternal river.