Ancient site · Aswan
Gebel el-Silsila
A site on the Nile at one of its narrowest points between Edfu and Kom Ombo, where the ancient Egyptians quarried the sandstone for their great temples.
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The story
Gebel el-Silsila lies about 65 kilometres north of Aswan, between Edfu to the north and Kom Ombo to the south, where the Nile narrows between high cliffs. It was a major sandstone quarry on both banks from at least the Eighteenth Dynasty into Greco-Roman times. Its stone went into the construction and decoration of major temples and monuments of ancient Egypt. The site is renowned for its New Kingdom stelae and cenotaphs.
Good to know
- The Arabic name means Mountain of the Chain, while its ancient Egyptian name Kheny means the Place of Rowing.
- It sits close to the narrowest point of the Nile's course, between Edfu and Kom Ombo.