Photos, facts, and a real human at the other end of the line.
Everything a writer or producer might need — high-resolution photos, key facts at a glance, our story in one paragraph, and direct contact for fact-checking and press visits.
Heissa Artie is a 9-room family-run Nubian guest house on Heissa Island — a small Nubian-inhabited island in the Nile, just south of Aswan. It's owned and operated by a Nubian family who have lived on the island for generations, and run as a slow-travel alternative to the big-hotel Aswan corniche scene. The house is hand-painted, the food is cooked daily by the family, and every guest crosses to the island by motorboat. There are no cars on Heissa.
The brand was founded in 2012, but the house and the family have been welcoming travelers in different forms for much longer. We focus on guests who want to experience real Nubian culture rather than perform it — long stays, cooking with the family, sailing with local captains, and walking the village in the evenings. We've been featured in independent travel media (see below), and have hosted travelers from 32 countries at last count.
For most coverage angles — slow travel, sustainable tourism, women-led hospitality, post-displacement Nubian culture, food, architecture, family-run businesses in the global south — we're happy to facilitate site visits, owner interviews, and photo access. Reach out using the contact card on this page.
A small selection of independent media that have written about Heissa Artie or the Nubian villages of Aswan. Full coverage list and clips available on request.
An 8-page feature on slow travel destinations along the Nile, featuring Heissa Artie as one of three highlighted family-run properties. Full piece available in the archive.
Read the articleHeissa Island and the Nubian guest house tradition included as one of the recommended off-corniche stops in NYT's classic 36-Hours destination format.
Read the articleA photo essay by photographer Yasmin El-Sayed featuring Heissa Island house murals and the village's painters, with quotes from our family included.
Read the articleHeissa Artie listed at #7 in T+L's annual roundup of small properties redefining boutique travel. Quote: "What hospitality looks like when no one's performing."
Read the articleA long-form piece on Nubian displacement and resilience. Heissa Island included as one of the few villages that retained its original location, with on-record interviews.
Read the articleThree-day diary by writer Sarah Mitchell after a stay at Heissa Artie. Quoted in the piece: "I came for two nights and stayed five — that's the whole review."
Read the articleLogo files, photography (high-res), and a printable fact sheet — all free to use with attribution to "Heissa Artie Nubian Guest House." For unusual requests (custom shots, drone footage, video B-roll), get in touch via the contact card below.
Curated press photos: rooms (interior + detail), exterior, food, the village, the Nile, and lifestyle. All shot on-property by our family photographer.
If you're writing on a deadline and need a quote, here are pre-approved sentences from our family that you can attribute to "Heissa Artie's owners" or "the family who runs Heissa Artie." Custom quotes available with 24 hours notice.
Heissa is a real, working Nubian village — not a tourist set. We invite people to stay inside the culture, not visit it from outside.
When the High Dam was built, most Nubian villages were flooded. Heissa Island sat just above the new water level. We're one of the few that stayed where we've always been.
We don't perform Nubia. We just live it. Guests are welcome to live it with us for a few days.
The slowest, smallest places are usually where people remember Egypt most clearly. We're trying to keep one of those places open.
For interviews, fact-checking, custom photo or B-roll requests, site visits, and FAM trips: write or message Megz at the contacts on the right. We aim to reply within 24 hours.
For breaking-news inquiries on tight deadlines (next 4 hours), please WhatsApp first — the email may sit overnight while we're handling guests.
Site visits and FAM trips are welcomed for confirmed assignments at major outlets. We'll cover up to 3 nights for legitimate working trips with a published outcome — discuss specifics with us first.
Stories, photo shoots, press stays, expert quotes. Tell us what you need and your deadline; we will reply within one business day.
