Aswan, Egypt

The morning of our last day in Aswan we moved from our hotel to our cruise boat. Yes that's right, cruising on the Nile. However, before departing Aswan some of the team made a quick trip over to the Nubian Village on Elephantine Island to catch a glimpse of the culture of this distinctly unique group of Egyptians. In ancient times, the lands of southern Egypt were continually fought over between the Egyptians in the north and Nubian in the south. The Nubian population was eventually conquered by the Egyptians but was allowed to live in the area under a Royal Viser of the Pharaoh. For years this lasted and gradually, customs and beliefs were exchanged and the populations slowly blended together to make a single Egyptian state. At the same time, Nubian villages and people continued on with their own styles and traditions in southern Egypt even to this day, giving a unique flare and diverse culture to the south. In the 1960's, a plan was proposed to build a massive damn across the Nile, providing Egypt with power and harnessing the Nile for irrigation. As a result, large areas of land south of the damn would be flooded creating the body of water known as lake Nasser, the largest artificially made lake in the world. However, living in the area above the damn happened to be a large population of Nubian Egyptians as well as hundreds of archeological sights rich in cultural and historical history of the ancient life in this distinct region. Temples like the ones at Abu Simbel and Philae were saved but many sights were lost forever beneath the flooding banks of the Nile. Thousands of Nubian Egyptians were displaced and forced to make new villages. The world responded with support as many different countries helped to preserve these people by aiding in the move of villages and documenting and saving as many of the ancient treasures as could be found. In the end however, much of this history lies beneath the waters of Lake Nasser. The Nubian Village in Aswan is an example of a new village created by displaced Nubians from the flooded region. You can catch the ferry to the village on Elephantine island and wander these unique streets on your own or have a friendly Nubian guide gladly take you through his home village (as we did). The village has remained true to its traditional roots with houses made and painted in colorful Nubian style and narrow twisting streets passing by outdoor ovens and small gardens. Henna on the walls of the homes record events such as marriages and no cars on the island give the village an incredible sense of peace and tranquility. It was a very unique and rewarding experience.

pic - 1 moving
pic - 2 Nubian woman's shop
pic - 3 walking the Nile strip
pic - 4 Feluca boats on the Nile
pic - 5 arriving at the Nubian village
pic - 6 color and henna in the Nubian village
pic- 7 Umm, taking history seriously in the museum