The area of Nubia is located between Aswan to the North and the city of Debba in Sudan to the South.
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 UNESCO seeking help. As a result, the UNESCO planned a museum in Aswan to exhibit the unique Nubian heritage.
The museum was designed by Mahmoud Al Hakim and opened its doors in November 1997. The complex covers 50,000 square meters of landscaped gardens and buildings which are divided up into different sections.
It includes three thousand pieces of antiquities, representing various ages; Geological, Pharaonic, Roman, Coptic and Islamic.
The museum consists of two floors: the ground floor contains the main gates of the museum, exhibition halls, and visitors reception hall, while the first floor contains an information center, culture activities center, and another exhibition hall.
The museum has also a beautiful garden with water-falls, palm trees, and flowers, spread around natural rocks. There is also an amphitheatre for local and international music and dance performances.