Nubian Village

Across the Nile from Aswan's bustle, the Nubian villages climb the west bank in a riot of colour, walls washed in indigo, ochre and rose, doorways framed by painted patterns, and rooftops where the desert begins. This is the living culture of Nubia, the people displaced when Lake Nasser rose, who carry their language, music and hospitality with fierce pride.

A visit means more than photographs: sweet hibiscus tea in a family courtyard, stalls of spices and woven baskets, the beat of a drum, and often a crocodile kept as a household curiosity. Most travellers arrive by motorboat or felucca, the approach itself a highlight as the granite islands and golden dunes slide past. It is Aswan at its warmest and most human.