Saint Simeon Monastery is located in the vicinity of Aswan, on Elephantine Island in the Nile River. Unfortunately, the remains of the monastery have never really attracted much interest from archeologists, and this is partly the reason why you won’t find this site featured in many Egypt tour packages. However, they certainly have made it onto the tourist map in more recent years, thanks to the ever increasing popularity of Nile River cruises, and the fact that the island is also home to some other interesting sites, including the Tombs of the Nobles.

Ruins of Saint Simeon Monastery - By Olaf Tausch

Ruins of Saint Simeon Monastery, Aswan.

A Brief History Of The Saint Simeon Monastery

Saint Simeon Monastery was built by a monk during the 7^th century and was subsequently dedicated to a 4^th century local saint by the name of Anba Hedra. According to legend, Anba Hedra got married when he was eighteen years old but on the day of his wedding he renounced mankind and immediately decided to devote himself to chastity and become an ascetic after witnessing a funeral procession.

Anba Hedra, known today as St. Simeon spent the next seven years doing religious studies under the direction of Saint Baiman. On completion of his studies, Anba Hedra spent the next eight years involved in ascetic practices before finally retiring to the desert so that he could devote his life to studying St. Anthony.

Anba Hedra later moved onto Elephantine Island and began building a monastery. The original structure was built from stone and mud bricks, and surrounded by a ten foot high wall which gave the Saint Simeon Monastery a fortress-like appearance. Records show that the monastery was also rebuilt or at least extended during the 10^th century.

By the time work on the monastery was completed in the 10^th century, it provided accommodation for around 300 monks, and it had room for roughly 100 pilgrims. The monks that lived at the monastery would travel into Nubia in groups with the aim of converting Nubians to Christianity. Unfortunately, Saint Simeon Monastery was all but destroyed by Saladin and his forces in 1173 and it was sadly never rebuilt.

Visiting The Monastery Of St. Simeon Today

Despite the fact that the monastery is essentially only collection of ruins, there are still some interesting things to see, hence the reason why the site is often featured in lists of must-see Aswan tourist attractions. For example, visitors can still see graffiti on the walls of the last pilgrim room on the right hand side. This graffiti was left by a Muslim pilgrim shortly before the monastery was destroyed. Visitors can also explore the chamber where St. Simeon used to spend several hours at a time praying. According to legend, he used to fasten his beard to the ceiling above his head in case he fell asleep during these extended prayer sessions.

There are other things to see at the site as well, and a visit to Saint Simeon Monastery is certainly recommended because the tiny Island is also home to the Tombs of the Nobles which happen to be some of Egypt’s most ancient tombs, dating all the way back to the Old Kingdom.

Tourists arriving at the island will almost always be greeted by locals who have camels for hire, and this is a wonderful way to reach the various attractions, including the monastery ruins. As is always the case when hiring a camel, visitors should haggle for a good rate, and make it clear to the camel owner how long they want the camel for.

A visit to Elephantine Island is generally not included in most Egypt tours. It also isn’t featured in most of our Nile cruises from Aswan to Luxor or our Nile cruises from Luxor to Aswan. However it is possible to book day tours which take you to the island as well as to a few other places such as Kitchener’s Island. If you want to visit Saint Simeon Monastery as part of your Egypt tour package, it’s always best to mention this when you make your reservation.