St. Simeon Monastery in Aswan
Saint Simeon was a son of Cleophas and Mary of Cleophas, and according to general belief, a cousin of Jesus Christ, was a Jew, one of the first leaders of Christianity, and, according to tradition, the second bishop of Jerusalem after James the Just. He is venerated as a saint throughout Christendom.
St. Simeon Monastery in Aswan is considered one of the most beautiful places that can be visited during your Aswan day tours and it`s the largest archaeological monastery in Egypt that includes rare religious landmarks. It was discovered by the Italian archaeologist More de Vellard in 1925.
The 7th-century fortress-like Monastery of St. Simeon, patronized by indigenous saint Anba Hedra, was rebuilt in the tenth century to convert Nubians to Christianity. Accessible via camel or private boat across the Nile.
A piece of Aswan attractions, The Old Aswan Dam | Aswan Low Dam
St. Simeon monastery also received the trips of Muslim pilgrims coming from the countries of the Arab Maghreb in the past, and those passing through Egypt on their way to the Hijaz region for trade or pilgrimage to Mecca, where they were staying for a period in which they were given food and drink, names of some of these pilgrims engraved on the walls of the inner monastery This represents the summit of union between Muslims and Christians in this place.
The monastery's only weakness was the difficulty in supplying water. In fact, during the constant sieges, this often failed because the sources were too far away. This is certainly one of the reasons why the monastery was abandoned.
Cairo Top Tours offers you one of the most interesting excursions in Aswan. it will give you the opportunity to delve into the history of Egypt through this trip to the luxurious monastery of Aswan.