29/01: Temple, Obelisk and The Nile
Category: General
Posted by: The Agnew Family
We thought yesterday was an early morning. This morning proved that there are earlier days on this trip. We were up at 4:00am, ate breakfast at 4:30am, on the bus at 5:15 am so we could catch a 7:30 flight. We arrived at the gate about 5 minutes before we were able to board the plane, so I think we left at the correct time.
On the way to the hotel we stopped at Philae temple. The temple was perched on Philae Island and attracted pilgrims for thousands of years. After the completion of the Aswan High Dam, the temple would have entirely disappeared had Unesco not intervened. Between 1972 and 1980, the temple complex was disassembled stone by stone . It was reconstructed 20 meters higher on Agilika Island. The earliest surviving remains are from 380 BC. Early Coptic Christians transformed the main hall in the temple to a chapel, defaced some of the reliefs and carved crosses on some the walls. Our guide, who has a PhD in Hieroglyphics gave us an amazing tour. He explained many of the hieroglyph reliefs and taught us to recognize certain characters so we could read the tiniest bit of the hieroglyphics.
Our guide teaching us how to interpret hieroglyphics
One of the walls of the temple
We also stopped to see the unfinished obelisk in the red granite quarry in downtown Aswan. Three sides of the nearly 42 meter shaft were completed when a crack occurred near the top of the obelisk. It was abandoned and left in place.
the obelisk
I love the location of our hotel. It is on Elephantine Island in the middle of the Nile River. Every room has an amazing view. We look over the river at the city as Aswan.
The Nile River is full of boats. One type of boat is the felucca. The felucca has a single sail and has been sailing on the Nile River since they began sailing boats on the Nile River.
the captain
About an hour before sunset we boarded the felucca and began to sail around Elephantine Island. As the sun was setting we transferred to a motor powered boat.
We finished watching an amazing sunset as we drove to a houseboat where we enjoyed a fabulous dinner prepared by a Nubian family. Tomorrow we are going to visit a Nubian village so I’ll be able to tell you more about them.
On the way to the hotel we stopped at Philae temple. The temple was perched on Philae Island and attracted pilgrims for thousands of years. After the completion of the Aswan High Dam, the temple would have entirely disappeared had Unesco not intervened. Between 1972 and 1980, the temple complex was disassembled stone by stone . It was reconstructed 20 meters higher on Agilika Island. The earliest surviving remains are from 380 BC. Early Coptic Christians transformed the main hall in the temple to a chapel, defaced some of the reliefs and carved crosses on some the walls. Our guide, who has a PhD in Hieroglyphics gave us an amazing tour. He explained many of the hieroglyph reliefs and taught us to recognize certain characters so we could read the tiniest bit of the hieroglyphics.
Our guide teaching us how to interpret hieroglyphics
One of the walls of the temple
We also stopped to see the unfinished obelisk in the red granite quarry in downtown Aswan. Three sides of the nearly 42 meter shaft were completed when a crack occurred near the top of the obelisk. It was abandoned and left in place.
the obelisk
I love the location of our hotel. It is on Elephantine Island in the middle of the Nile River. Every room has an amazing view. We look over the river at the city as Aswan.
The Nile River is full of boats. One type of boat is the felucca. The felucca has a single sail and has been sailing on the Nile River since they began sailing boats on the Nile River.
the captain
About an hour before sunset we boarded the felucca and began to sail around Elephantine Island. As the sun was setting we transferred to a motor powered boat.
We finished watching an amazing sunset as we drove to a houseboat where we enjoyed a fabulous dinner prepared by a Nubian family. Tomorrow we are going to visit a Nubian village so I’ll be able to tell you more about them.