Egypt's modern example of construction on a monumental scale, the controversial Aswan High Dam, 13km south of Aswan, contains 18 times the amount of material used in the Great Pyramid of Khufu and created Lake Nasser, one of the world's largest artificial lakes. Most people visit the High Dam as part of an organised trip to sights south of Aswan

This beautiful temple complex is one of the most picturesque in all of Egypt. It sits on Aglika Island just south of the old Aswan Dam and you must ride a water taxi to the island to get to theruins. The temple was moved to its current location following the construction of the High Dam. Philae’s is generally thought to be the most impressive of these often overblown affairs. The ambience of the island’s ruins bathed in floodlighting is hard to describe adequately, but this is definitely a recommended way to spend an evening