It has been a very busy and enjoyable week with my sister Eileen and her husband Bryan as our guests. Over the past week, we have spent time with friends here in Alex and then taken a very memorable cruise on the Nile to the cities of Aswan and Luxor in “Upper Egypt.” Last Wednesday we visited our friend Lobna for tea. Lobna teaches at the middle school and has been a dear friend for us here in Alex. Her home is like a museum and the knowledge she has of Egypt and Alex is very enlightening. The time flew by and before we knew it was time to leave in order to meet Emad (one of the school’s financial officers) and his family for dinner. We waited for Emad on Horreya (one of the busiest streets in Alex). Traffic was really hectic as Wednesday was Mother’s Day in Egypt. Unlike the US, where Mother’s Day is often a time to go out to eat, in Egypt it is considered customary to visit the home bearing gifts (usually flowers). As we were driving to the restaurant, Emad explained the traffic ticket system used in Alex. There are numerous traffic officers situated on the streets (especially near busy intersections) and each will have a note book where they record violations. When you go to renew your vehicle registration, any violations you might have need to be paid for or you will not be able to renew your car registration. It makes no difference who is driving, the owner is responsible for all violations. The other question we asked of Emad while driving was about the apparent unfinished status of many apartments and other buildings. He told us that if they remain unfinished, the taxes are quite a bit lower so many owners will hold back finishing the buildings in order to qualify for lower taxes and they also hold off in order to build up if needed as the family increases. Emad and his family were very gracious hosts for Bryan and Eileen.
At the end of the school day Thursday, we took off for Cairo to catch the train for our Nile Cruise which was to begin in Aswan on Friday. Our sleeper train departed from the Giza station around 9:00 PM and we headed south to “Upper Egypt”. Egypt is divided into two parts (Upper Egypt in the south and Lower Egypt in the north). It is given those names because the Nile River flows from South to North. The train ride was a little cramped but we enjoyed our first ride on a passenger train. While traveling Friday morning, we got to see a lot of the rural country side. Upper Egypt is well known for it’s production of sugar cane and it was interesting to watch the farmers load up the wagons and railroad cars with their crops headed for the refinery. We noticed that many of the homes were made of sun dried bricks often with thatched roofs. Most of the men wore galabayas while the women were often dressed in black with black scarves.
We made it to Aswan shortly before noon and found our way from the train station to the Nile to meet up with our cruise ship. Walking down, we encountered merchants and cabbies (both horse drawn carriages and cars). The merchants, drivers, vendors, etc. were much more aggressive than anywhere we have been. You had to be very firm with them in order to get them to leave you alone – even then they wanted you to “promise” to come back to them. This is also the first time we have encountered a little “shiftiness” in their dealings. One “horse drawn” carriage driver told us he would take us to a location and back for a certain amount of money. Once we got in, we decided to see a couple more sites and eventually when we got back, he wanted quite a bit more than we agreed to pay. When we did pay him, Bryan gave him a bill of one denomination and he tried to switch it with another and say that Bryan gave him the wrong one. Obviously he felt that being a foreigner Bryan would not know the difference. I watched him and called him on it – he then backed down. Pat also encountered a vendor who tried the same with her but she called him on it as well. It is easy to see how regular tourists might easily get taken. In the afternoon we toured the obelisk (a very large red granite stone that was to be carved and raised upright and transported to Cairo for a pharaoh). Unfortunately it was cracked just before it was finished so it remains lying on the ground in Aswan. Later on, we visited the Nubian Museum. The Nubians were a large group of people who originally lived in an area just south of where the Aswan High Dam was built. After it was built, they had to be relocated (nearly 40,000). The Nubians were well known for their mining of gold which was highly sought after by the Pharaohs. We are consistently amazed at the level of engineering and craftsmanship that the ancients demonstrated in all areas.
Our cruise ship, the Nile Plaza, has two decks above water and one below. The capacity is approximately 85 rooms including a sun deck complete with swimming pool, a lounge area and a couple of shops. The rooms were fairly spacious for a cruise ship and well equipped. We estimated that there were approximately 60 guests on board. The majority of them seem to be from Holland or the Netherlands. We’ve been told that “Cruising on the Nile’ has become a big tourist business with approximately 400 ships on the river.
On Saturday we began our guided tour of the area. There were 17 of us in the English speaking tour. We traveled to the sites in an air-conditioned bus (with temperatures in the mid 80’s). Our first stop was the Aswan High Dam built by Egypt and the USSR at a cost of $400 million dollars. Initially France, the UK and the US were going to build it but decided to back off after Egypt nationalized the Suez Canal in an attempt to raise their portion of the expenses. The high dam provides 60% of the electrical needs of Egypt. It also allows Egypt to export electricity to neighboring countries. The dam help create Lake Nassar, the largest man-made lake in the world. The dam took nearly 10 years to build. Over 100 people lost their lives on the project and 40,000 Nubians were displaced from their homes. While building the dam (which was to control the flow and flooding of the Nile) a seven year drought occurred causing famine in areas of Egypt. While it has greatly improved the control of the River for agricultural purposes, it has increased the use of chemical fertilizers as the rich silt that was once deposited on the land because of the flooding, no longer occurs.
After our visit to the High Dam, we visited the Temple of Philae. Here you see many similarities between the three major religions. This temple has been moved in its entirety (over 40,000 pieces) and reassembled because of the change in water levels caused by building the Aswan Dam. The island that it was once on was called the “pearl of Egypt.” It was interesting to note that many of the Egyptians artists and craftsman who worked on this project often distorted the figures of the Romans in their carvings to show their dislike of the Romans. From this temple, we visited a Nubian perfume factory. This area is well known for the “essences” of over 43 oils (perfume, spices and medicinal). As we traveled back to the ship, we noticed the heightened security and large numbers of police in the area. Later on we learned that Secretary of State Rice and Egyptian President Mubarak were scheduled to meet nearby. Following lunch, we sailed to Kom Ombo for a visit to the temple shared by two gods (Sobek and Haroeis). Much of what we know of the ancients’ medical knowledge and tools can be learned here by examining the carvings at this temple. From here, we sailed to Edfu where we docked for the evening.
On Sunday, we visited the Temple of Horus at Edfu. This temple is considered to be the best preserved temple. It was built during the time of the Greek occupation from 330 BC to 30 AD. The temple was covered completely by silt, thus preserving it in very good condition. The French discovered it and began the recovery process. These temples that we viewed were built primarily during the occupation of the Greeks and Romans and were meant to honor the gods while the pyramids and the Valley of the Kings and Queens were built to honor the pharaohs. From here we sailed to Esna and were to travel through the locks and on to Luxor but for some reason we stayed docked the rest of the day and into the evening before sailing on. Sunday evening we had the “Galabaya Party” on the ship – most of the guests dressed in traditional Egyptian costumes and enjoyed a traditional meal. Following the meal, we played several games pitting the Dutch speaking guests against the English speaking guests – with the English speaking guest prevailing most of the time.
On Monday, we visited the “Valley of the Kings” – defiantly the highlight of the cruise. In ancient times, the pharaohs had pyramids built for their afterlife with tombs hidden within. As time went on, they changed their idea on this and decided on an area near Luxor that could hide their tombs from grave robbers. They selected the West Bank of the Nile in an area that was very well hidden and built their tombs into the sandstone mountain side. Each pharaoh commission an engineer to oversee the project. Workers were usually blindfolded when they were brought in so that they would never know the location of the tombs. Over 63 have been located so far with the most famous belonging to Ramses II and Tutankhamun. The tombs were often begun when the pharaoh took control and work would cease 60 days after the pharaoh died unless it was finished beforehand. Most, if not all, were never completely finished. We visited three in various states of completion. It was interesting to see the insides of these tombs and observe the detail and craftsmanship of those who worked in them. It is truly a spectacular site. We have now seen two of the most unique locations in the world in the Valley of the Kings and Petra. Following our visit to the Valley of the Kings, we toured the temple of Queen Hatshepsut (the first female ruler in history). She had this built in her honor and then it is believed that she was killed by her son-in-law and her body was never found. Following our visit to this area, we traveled back to the ship for lunch and then into Luxor to fly back to Cairo and return to Alex on Monday evening. After leaving the area, we realize there is much more to see in the Valley of the Kings, Valley of the Queens and Abu Simbel and look forward to a return trip.
This morning we said farewell to Eileen and Bryan as they head back to the states following ten wonderful days with us in Egypt. It was so nice to have family here to share in our adventure and visit some of the most unique places on earth. The staff here at school try very hard to make family guests feel welcome and assure them that we are safe here and are being well taken care of. We hope more family and friends are able to come over to share in this wonderful land.
