El Kab

El Kab, ancient Nekheb, is enclosed by one of the most impressive mud-brick walls in Egypt, a rectangle over five hundred metres a side and up to eleven metres thick, built in the Late Period around a town whose occupation runs back into prehistory. In the cliff behind are rock tombs of New Kingdom officials, and two of them carry texts of real historical weight: the autobiographies of Ahmose son of Ibana and Ahmose Pennekhbet, soldiers who served in the campaigns that expelled the Hyksos and founded the New Kingdom, giving first-hand narrative of those wars. Further into the desert are small temples of the Ptolemaic and Roman periods, a rock chapel of Setau, and prehistoric rock art in the wadi behind.

Highlights

• The great mud-brick enclosure - a wall eleven metres thick and half a kilometre a side.
• The tomb of Ahmose son of Ibana - a soldier's first-hand account of the Hyksos wars.
• Desert chapels - small temples in the wadi behind the town.
• Prehistoric rock art - carvings predating the pharaonic state.

When to go

October to April. Two hours. Mornings for the climb to the tombs. The site is directly on the main road and easily added to a Luxor to Aswan drive, yet almost nobody stops.

Before you go

The tombs are up a stair in full sun and can be locked, requiring a guard. The desert chapels need a vehicle and extra time. There is no shade and no facilities. Signage is minimal and the site rewards preparation.

Nearby

Edfu is south; Esna and Luxor lie north on the same road.

Key facts