Qubbet el-Hawa


Qubbet el-Hawa is a site on the western bank of the Nile, opposite Aswan. The name is derived from the dome of the tomb of an Islamic sheikh, but archaeologically, it is usually understood as referring to the site of the tombs of the officials lined up on artificial terraces below the summit of the Nile bank upon which the Islamic tomb stands.

Ancient Egyptian site - so called Tombs of Nobles

The elite Tombs date mainly from the Old Kingdom and provide an insight into the burial traditions of Upper Egyptian Nome 1 during the later Old Kingdom. The tombs include the famous tomb of Harkhuf. Others belong to Sabni, Ishemai or Heqaib. There are also some later tombs, from the Middle Kingdom and New Kingdom. Among the most important tombs are those of the expedition leaders despatched to distant lands to negotiate the acquisition of foreign goods for the Egyptian court. During the Middle Kingdom, a minor sanctuary for one of these leaders was prominent in the town at Elephantine.
Excavation work continues.

Coptic site

The hill is also the site of a Coptic monastery of Saint Anthony and some of the tombs were reused as a Coptic church.