My Egypt
Part 5
The Egyptian Crocodile is very friendly. They always smile before they eat you. ~Abdul, our Nubian Tour Guide
January 7, 2017
We got up at 4:30 am to catch our early flight to Aswan. The Hotel was so kind to pack us a small breakfast to eat on the plane.
By 8 o’clock we arrived in sunny Aswan, greeted by our new tour guide Abdul.
Our tour began immediately at the Aswan Dam with a very detailed historical account. Abdul is a cheerful Nubian who loves to talk – a lot. Our heads were spinning but we enjoyed the little tidbits of information he poured down on us, while our eyes scanned the beautiful, intense blue, Nasser Lake.
The Aswan Dam, or rather called the Aswan High Dam since the 1960’s, is the world’s largest embankment dam, which was built between 1960-1970. The construction of the dam was to help with the yearly flooding of the Nile, and increase water storage for irrigation and generate hydroelectricity. By building the dam, due to its huge turbines situated below the water levels, the crocodiles could no longer pass through. Today there are still crocodiles in Egypt, but only in the area of the Nasser Lake. All these years I had always wondered about the absence of the crocodile in the Nile River. Now I knew.
Our journey continued on to a cute little Nubian Village. Here we climbed onto a small boat, which was to take us to the famous Philae Island.
What many people don’t realize is that the buildings situated on the island today were once located originally near the expansive First Cataract of the Nile in Upper Egypt, and was the site of an Egyptian temple complex. When the construction to the Dam began in 1960, the entire area was suffering from hazardous flooding.
The temple complex was dismantled and moved to nearby Agilkia Island as part of the UNESCO Nubia Campaign project, protecting this and other complexes before the 1970 completion of the Aswan High Dam.
Now the temple complex is known as the temple of Isis on Philae Island.
With great anticipation I sat at the back of the boat, craning my neck to catch that first glimpse of the temple. My heart danced with excitement as the temple came into view, hidden behind huge palm leaves. The boat docked and we walked up a small hill to be greeted by the enormous courtyard with pillars to the right and left, and the temple of Isis straight ahead.
It’s strange and rather disappointing to learn that the actual temple was not build by the ancient Egyptian, but rather by the Greeks. Construction began around 690 BC, and it was one of the last outposts where the goddess was worshipped.
We walk over the thick cobblestone courtyard and stare at the 18m high first pylon with reliefs of Ptolemy XII Neos Dionysos smiting his enemies. Egyptian rulers loved portraying themselves smashing and destroying the enemy.
We slowly walked from column to column, admiring the architecture, while listening to Abdul, as he told us story after story about the ancient rulers. We wandered through the hypostyle hall with superb column capitals. It was mind-blowing to be standing in the midst of these columns after dreaming of this place for so long.
We slowly made our way back to meet Abdul, who was so kind to let us wander around by ourselves. It was here that Andreas, after stepping up on a rock, missed his step and twisted his ankle and fell. Out of nowhere appeared an Egyptian, rushing with ice for his ankle. This man also checked to see if any bones were broken. My poor husband was in agony, as we slowly made our way back to the boat.
Thankfully we had nothing booked for the afternoon – our first afternoon off. Our chauffeur brought us to our new hotel – an absolute stunner. A red carpet leading up to the front entrance left us speechless as we entered. A luxurious entrance hall with columns in the ancient Egyptian style reaching up to the third floor; shining marble beneath our feet. I truly feel like the Queen of Sheba.
Andreas received more ice for his foot. He was resting on the bed, making sure not to put too much pressure on the foot.
I stepped out onto our small balcony and felt like pinching myself. It was like an absolute dream. I looked down upon the beautiful Nile River, feluccas sailing up and down; and then my eyes rested on Elephantine Island. I couldn’t believe it was right there in front of me. For those that love Wilbur Smith the author, you might understand my excitement a little bit better after reading so much about ancient Egypt in his novels.
Elephantine is located in the western side of the Nile River in Aswan, and was considered one of the greatest islands in the Nile River. It’s an archeological site inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1979.
Elephantine was known as the door of the south, since it was the most southernly city in ancient Egypt. It was also here that the famous Nilometer was located. It was a graduated pillar, serving to indicate the height reached by the Nile during its annual floods. The priests would measure the Nile and brilliantly calculated the crops for the coming season. They were able to figure out so many things just by watching and measuring the Nile. It is absolutely mind-blowing to me.
I decided to go exploring and left Andreas resting on the bed. The hotel was quiet and relatively empty at this time of year. So different compared to the flamboyant Le Meridian Hotel in Cairo. My camera strapped around my shoulder; I marched off in search of the Nile. I found an underground tunnel which led underneath the busy road – a secret passage to the Nile. I stood by the waters’ edge and took in the sounds and the smells. This was Egypt. This is what I have longed for all my life.
I sat down and watched the feluccas, slowly sailing up and down the river, some disappearing out of sight behind Elephantine Island. A cool breeze touches my face as I held my camera in front of me, taking one picture after another. I wandered along the shore, rested by the pool, before returning back to our lovely room.
There I sat on the sheltered balcony and watched the sun set slowly over a busy Aswan. Street lights turn on, the Nile turns crimson while a few feluccas are still circling around the island.
It’s hard to take my eyes off the beautiful river. Deep within my heart I know that I never want to leave this magical place.
Andreas and I enjoyed a simple supper and afterwards relaxed in the luxurious lounge, after watching the most amazing sunset. We were the only couple in the lounge, getting the sole attention of a very friendly and keen bar tender. He served us Egyptian coffee, which I thought would be strong – but it wasn’t. But the coffee did help with the horrible jet lag I’ve still been dragging around with me.
We don’t have to get up too early tomorrow which will help getting our energy levels back up. Before going to bed I stood once more on the balcony, drinking in the flowing river scene in front of me.
Good night, Aswan.
