Kitchener's Island of Aswan

The reason behind the name “Kitchener’s Island”

This name “Kitchener’s Island” was given to the island in 1899 after Lord Horacio Kitchener took it in 1928 and started turning it into a botanical garden.  From the very beginning Consul-General Lord Kitchener started to use the Island as his headquarters during his military campaigns in Sudan. He took this island as a gift and began to expose his huppy of being a Botanist by transforming the 750m of the island into a garden full of rare, subtropical, and exotic plants, this is because he used to import seeds and shrubs from all over the world.

This hobby continued for 3 years starting from September, 1911 till June 1914. The work in this island didn’t stop after the Lord Kitchener, as the The Ministry of Irrigation expanded his work in 1928 by featuring many different trees and plants from all the five continents. After all, this Garden became a part of the Egyptian Government and this was really useful to create a Botanical Research Institute in it.

That’s why this Island was named after its creator Lord Horacio Kitchener and we all know it now as “Kitchener’s Island”.

History of the Island

After Lord Kitchener left the island, it became part of the ministry of irrigation, they knew its importance and this was the main reason we’re enjoying the beauty of this island until today.

Let’s have a look at the old history of this Island. This was a Botanical Garden located in Aswan and the Nubians used to settle in it and called it Jet Narty. Then Lord Horatio Kitchener took the island to be his resting place during the military campaigns in 1899 and called it the lord’s house.

Let me introduce you to Lord Kitchener, he was a commander of the Egyptian Army with a great passion for palm trees and plants which led him to transform the whole island into a stunning botanic garden. He was the main reason we have the amazing Aswan Botanical Gardens now.

Here you go, a detailed tour inside the Aswan Botanical Island.

This amazing island is divided into 27 squares. The interesting part here is that it has vertical and horizontal paths cutting each other in the shape of a chess board which gives the place an amazing view. The ministry of irrigation has filled the Botanical Garden with plenty of  trees from all five continents. You can enjoy a huge variety of plantations and trees there. Some of these plants were naturally found on the island, before even anyone discovered it and the others have been imported from different continents.

If you’re fond of the rare plants, this will be like a treasure for you because you will find there the Royal Palm tree, the Sabal Palm tree, and the Phonic Palm tree.

The Island location in Aswan 

To be aware of the location for the amazing Kitchener’s Island, you have to continue ready. Kitchener’s Island is located to the west of Elephantine Island, they’re two islands in the middle of the Nile that’s so close to the city-center of Aswan Egypt.

You can find the Island between the Cataract Islands opposite Aswan City, where you can relax in this green environment, having chatting time at cafes with amazing Nile Views.

The location of Kitchener’s Island is one of the main attractive points for all the visitors from all over the world.

How to reach the Island

Reaching Kitchener’s Island is not that easy, you need to know exactly how to enter the island. There are 3 entrances to the island, you can reach the main entrance from the northern tip of the island. To get the best experience at the island, you should get from the main entrance because you will be able to see the whole island without lots of walking. For more fun, you can walk the full length of the island to reach the southern tip and start booking a felucca from there and the captain will be waiting for you at the other end. You will definitely have an amazing experience at such a mysterious island,

Aswan is the most stunning city in Egypt where each site will amaze you with its beauty and secrets. Plus this city is a home to the best Pharaoh’s attractions in the whole of Egypt. Through your visit to the amazing Kitchener’s Island in Aswan, you can marvel at all the famous sites from the ancient Egyptian antiquities or the natural sites with the amazing view of the great Nile river.  Don’t ever miss this chance of discovering new places and book your trip now.