Elephantine Island sits in the middle of the Nile opposite Aswan's east bank and has been inhabited since the earliest periods of Egyptian history. It was the capital of the southernmost nome of ancient Egypt, the frontier between the Egyptian world and Nubia, and the site of temples dating back to the earliest dynastic periods.
The ruins on the southern tip of the island include a temple of Khnum, a ram-headed god associated with the Nile flood, and the Aswan Museum, which displays objects found during excavations. A Nilometer — a stone staircase descending into the river to measure flood levels — is visible at the water's edge. On the northern part of the island, two Nubian villages with brightly painted houses offer a different and entirely welcoming side of Aswan. Ferries cross from the corniche regularly. Allow at least two hours.