Sai Island lies in the Nile about 180 kilometres south of Wadi Halfa, reachable by road along the west bank and then by boat. The island stretches roughly 12 kilometres long and 5 kilometres wide, and its silty, relatively fertile ground has made it attractive to settlers since the Middle Palaeolithic.
The ruins span an extraordinary range of periods: Egyptian New Kingdom fortifications and a temple to Amun, Kushite-era buildings, Meroitic cemeteries, a Byzantine Christian church, and an Ottoman-era town. The church pillars from the Makurian Christian kingdom — one of the longest-surviving Christian states in Africa — are among the most evocative remains on the island. Getting there requires arranging transport in Wadi Halfa; local guesthouses and the few tour operators in town can help with this.