Since our short flight from Cairo to Aswan departed at 5:30am, we arrived quite early in the morning and had the entire day to get settled on our riverboat and to explore Aswan, Egypt’s southernmost city. Our first stop was at the Aswan High Dam, located 13 kilometers (8 miles) south of the city. It was built to control the flooding of the Nile.
The dam, which was completed in 1970, is one of the biggest in the world. It’s 111 meters (364 feet) high and extends for a length of 3.6 kilometers (a little over 2 miles). Construction of the dam created a huge artificial reservoir named Lake Nasser. About 30% of the lake actually extends south into Sudan. Fish and crocodiles thrive in the calm waters of the lake.
The dam brought definite benefits. First of all, it was no longer necessary to evacuate the lands bordering the river every year. The hydroelectric power the dam generates supplies between 25% and 50% of Egypt’s energy needs. Egypt gained a significant amount of agricultural land and there were now three planting seasons. However, at the same time, farmers lost a source of nutrient-rich soil and had to turn to chemical fertilizers. 300,000 Nubians who had lived in the area lost their villages and had to be relocated. Also, ancient sites were lost under the waters of Lake Nasser.
Prior to the construction of the dam, UNESCO coordinated the efforts of several countries to relocate 22 ancient monuments that would otherwise have been lost. These include the temples at Abu Simbel and the Philae Temples. To show Egypt’s appreciation, President Nasser gave away a number of temples as thank you gifts to the nations that helped. That’s why you can see the Temple of Dendur (built around 15 BCE) at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.
An earlier dam, which opened in 1902, is located 6 kilometers downstream. Known as the Old Aswan Dam, it was built by the British for the purpose of storing annual floodwater so that it could be used for irrigation of the cotton crop during the dry season.
By 9am, we were boarding the MS Nefertiti, our home for the next seven days. There was a total of 66 OAT passengers on board the riverboat, and we were divided into three groups. I was very pleased with my stateroom, especially since it had a balcony big enough for a couple of chairs and table. There was also an inviting sun deck.
Once I’d gotten settled, I went ashore to explore the immediate area. My greatest find was a store selling chocolates.
After lunch onboard, I opted for a motorboat ride on the river. The boat looked like the one below.
Heading upriver (to the south), in the direction of the first cataract (granite rock formations in the river), the water seemed very calm. I noticed a number of feluccas, traditional Egyptian sailboats, traveling in both directions.
A few minutes into our journey, we rounded the northern tip of Elephantine island, the largest island in this part of the Nile. The island’s name is a reference to the granite rocks that resemble an elephant’s head. I was struck by how desert-like the terrain looked. As the local guide onboard reminded us, this is the start of the Sahara. He pointed to the ancient ruins standing on the crest of a hill. At one time, Elephantine was full of ancient temples. Nowadays, the temples are in ruins, archaeological excavations are going on, and the island is occupied by the residents of a Nubian village. The Nubian people have lived in this area since ancient times and were frequently at war with the Egyptians who lived to the north. The Nubians tend to be darker than the Egyptians and they have their own language, which exists only in oral form.
According to some research I did, there was a sizeable Jewish settlement, numbering in the thousands, on the island for at least 200 years during the Persian period (late 6th to late 4th centuries BCE). The community consisted of a group of Judean mercenaries, along with their families. The soldiers were guarding Egypt’s southern border against invasion by the Nubians. Papyrus documents reveal that they even built their own temple where they offered sacrifices, a practice previously thought to be reserved for the Temple in Jerusalem. The temple on Elephantine was destroyed in 410 BCE due to a conflict with local Egyptian priests, and the Jewish community eventually faded away.
As we passed between Elephantine Island and the much smaller Lord Kitchener’s Island, our guide told us that Lord Kitchener, a 19th century British military commander of the Egyptian army, was an avid botanist who brought plants from around the world to the island. The entire island is now a public botanical garden, and it has been renamed El Nabatat Island.
Being out on the water, breathing fresh air, and skirting the small islands was such a pleasure after several days caught up in the congestion of Cairo. This is one of the many of the small rocky outcrops we passed. Prior to construction of the dam, it would have been submerged during the annual Nile floods.
Our sharp-eyed guide was a trained naturalist who was constantly identifying plants and wildlife as we went along. I had never seen such a variety of water birds.
The tall grass with feathery plumes growing near the water is called pampas grass. Since it’s native to South America, I was surprised to see it growing wild here in Egypt.
As we made our way into an area of small islands south of Elephantine, the waters of the Nile became more agitated and we bounced up and down and from side to side in the boat.
Not long afterwards, we approached the shore of the west bank of the river.
I was surprised that we were making a stop but I welcomed the opportunity to wade through the shallow water to a sandy beach. It was obviously a popular place for tourists and the ubiquitous hawkers of souvenirs.
Then it was time to reverse course and sail downstream back to Aswan. Considering the early start to our day, I was pleased that I managed to stay awake during our multi-course welcome dinner on the Nefertiti.
Tomorrow we’d be visiting Abu Simbel, a four-hour drive from Aswan, which meant another early start.
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