Aswan

 

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Aswan

Aswan

Considered as the most beautiful town on the Nile, Aswan enjoys a privileged location. It is the meeting point of centuries of history, a legendary river and an immense desert.

Considered as the most beautiful town on the Nile, Aswan enjoys a privileged location. It is the meeting point of centuries of history, a legendary river and an immense desert. Aswan is also the starting point for all cruises on Lake Nasser sailing in the direction of Abu Simbel or which descend the Nile in the direction of the temples of Luxor. Situated at the location of the first cataract, the impassable natural barrier for their boats, Aswan was the last frontier for the Egyptians, the last trace of civilisation before Nubia, the empty, arid land inhabited by rebel tribes. Still today, Aswan has something of this ambiance about it, of the mystery that possesses all towns at the crossroads of time in the middle of nowhere.




It is 4 o'clock in the afternoon. I'm in a rush. On the boat, the guide had warned me: «　As soon as we dock, take the coastal road and climb up to the panoramic view point. You love photography and gorgeous colours so you'll be in seventh heaven up there.　» The sun has already started its descent. The shadows are growing longer and little by little the clay walls are covered in gold. At the moment I am not bothered by the huge number of feluccas; I'll worry about those tomorrow. All that matters now is the climb up to see the sunset as this won't wait. Finally, the small square of the belvedere! And what a joy! The Nile is here before my feet. The sandstone and sand cliffs take on the colours of the sunset. The sails, for a few final moments, catch the last of the sun's rays. Far in the distance, the town of Aswan, dozing and calm. I can hear laughter coming from the gardens and the swimming pool of the Old Cataract Hotel. The ochre of its facade and the azur of the pool stand out against the sombre waters of the sacred river which was an important source of the Egyptians. The moment is magical, the view magnificent and I am alone, completely alone in experiencing this precious snapshot.




On my way I'd promised a turbaned sailor, tougher than the others, that tomorrow, scout's honour, I'd go for a felucca trip with him on the waters that had now been calmed by the famous dam. Two and half miles long, 374ft high and almost a mile wide at its base, the Sadd al-Ali necessitated 11 years of work, mobilised 30,000 workmen and required the deplacement of the equivalent of 17 times the volume of the Khufu pyramid in rocks. This monster would give birth to Lake Nasser, a true inland sea, over 300 miles in length and with a capacity of ???. During the time of its construction, the population of Aswan grew from 50,000 to over 200,000. The last frontier had just changed forever. Already a celebrated holiday destination for the Greeks and Romans, Aswan was then enjoyed by a new generation of holiday-makers, cultured travellers and quietened down explorers. The starting and docking point of all Nile cruises, from now on Aswan was to know growing crowds.
Whether on a felucca on the Nile, wandering around the Capernaum ???, exploring the granite quarries, sailing on Lake Nasser or flying towards Abu Simbal, people cross one another, exchange and leave, creating a pace of life which gives Aswan its charm.
Even the name of the town was born from movement. At the time of the pharaohs, it was called Swenet, which means 'market' or 'deal'. Sudanese merchants and desert nomads would come here and sell ivory, gold, spices and fabric coming from deepest sub-Saharan Africa. The current-day market has not lost any of its original colour and odour. Certainly the stalls today offer more contemporary gadgets and a wider variety of foodstuffs, however the same effervescence reigns over the area.

Tomorrow has already arrived
Saved from the waters in the 1970s, the Temple of Philae is a ship bound for timelessness. Its two towers resemble the funnels of a liner and the columns of the mammisi are its walkways. Access to the sanctuary is gained by a footbridge through a maze of corridors and obscure rooms. Isis, the mistress of the site, is mourning Orisis, her dear husband who was buried on the neighbouring island of Biga. The cult of this woman in love, taken up by the Greeks and Romans (and recorded in the cartouches of Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula and Nero as well as at the superb Trajan's Kiosk) would be the last to resist evangelisation. In the fourth century AD, Temple of Isis would become a church dedicated to Saint Stephen. I leave my stone boat for one of wood. My felucca is awaiting me. To be able to sail along the waters of the Nile is to fulfil a childhood ambition, together with taking the Trans-Siberian Railway, Pan-American Highway and rounding Cape Horn. And here I am, the waters flowing under the bow of the boat in an incredible silence. The felucca runs along the cliff that houses Nubian necropolis and the mausoleum of Aga Khan. It flirts with the glistening surfaces of the rocks on the Elephantine Island, ancient capital of the pharaohs. It leaves at starboard the green botanic island-garden of Kitchener. I didn't want a word of explanation, just to dream of an improbable meeting with the chubby Hapi, God of the Nile and of abundance, with Khnum, the ram-headed master of flooding and with the beautiful Satis and Anuket, the Goddesses of the waters. What has happened to them since the dam was built? Hapi has surely lost weight for want of silt to fertilise the land and Khnum has no doubt changed job. Satis, whose head is topped with antelope horns, and Anuket, adorned with ostrich feathers, have perhaps been devoured by the giant carp, which, they say, haunt the depths of Lake Nasser.
Category : Egyptian Towns
items Date : 01/08/2009
Author of items : Charles Rossignol