The Nubian Museum contains art facts that come from the area of Nubia, which is located between Aswan to the North and the city of Debba in Sudan to the South. The name of Nubia was never mentioned in the ancient Egyptian language and it was first mentioned in the book called “Geographica” that was written by the Greek historian, Strapon, who visited Nubia in the first century AD.
The word Nubia is derived from the word “Nebo’, or the mines of gold which Nubia was famous for in ancient times.
With the construction of the Aswan High Dam in the 1960’s, monuments and villages in the Nile Valley of Nubia were threatened with submersion under the rising waters of the reservoir (Lake Nasser).To rescue this important and ancient heritage, the Egyptian government appealed to the United Nations Educational, Cultural, and Scientific Organization (UNESCO) seeking help. As a result, an immense international apparatus was formed to excavate and record hundreds of sites.
Due to the importance of the material that was recovered from tombs, temples and settlements, UNESCO planned the Nubian museum in Aswan to exhibit the unique Nubian heritage. Besides, many temples such as the ones at Abu Simbel and Philae sites were disassembled and reconstructed on higher grounds.
The Nubia Museum opened its doors in November 1997. The complex, which was designed by the late Egyptian architect Mahmoud al-Hakim, reflects the traditional character of the Nubian architecture and it won the Agha-Khan Award of Architecture in 2001. It covers 50,000 square meters of landscaped gardens and buildings which are divided up into different sections
The Nubian museum is considered to be a gateway in the history of Nubia that enables the visitors to understand the complex history of this unique area,
The Nubian museum has also a beautiful garden with water-falls, palm trees, flowers, and climbing bushes, spread around natural rocks. There is also an amphitheater for local and international music and dance performances.
