The long awaited Nubian museum finally opened its doors in November 1997. Showcasing the history, art and culture of Nubia from Prehistoric times down to the present, it is very small and belated thanks to the sacrifice made by the Nubian people for the Aswan Dam.

The exhibits are beautifully displayed and clearly written explanations take you from 4500 BC through to the present day. Among the highlights are the 600 year old painted pottery bowls, a stunning quartzite statue of a 25th dynasty Kushite priest of Amun, and a fascinating display tracing of development of irrigation along the Nile, from the earliest attempts to control the flow of the River, right up to the building of the Aswan Dam.

All this is housed in a well-designed modern building, loosely based on traditional Nubian architecture. In the museum garden there is a reconstructed Nubian house ( which you can’t enter, unfortunately )and a small newly-built “ cave “ where fragments of prehistoric rock paintings have been placed. The site also incorporates an 11th century Fatimid tomb.