Maximus Nostramabus

Sep 112 min read

Aswan (أسوان)

Updated: Oct 30

Cultural and historic confluence of ancient Egyptian and Nubian civilisations - Nubian Monuments from Abu Simbel to Philae 88; Handmade weaving in Upper Egypt (Sa'eed) 01605

What and Why

Aswan (Arabic : أسوان , ʾAswān), located in southern Egypt (مصر , Miṣr) on the banks of the River Nile, is a city of great historical and cultural significance. With a history that stretches back thousands of years, Aswan has been a cultural crossroad and cradle, starting and blending influences of civilisations from ancient Egypt, Nubia (Nobiin : Nobīn), Roman Empire (Latin: Imperium Romanum), and Islamic states. The city's unique position as a major gateway and trading post between Egypt, Africa and Asia has made it a melting pot of cultures, traditions, and architectural marvels.

Aswan's cultural heritage is of course deeply rooted in ancient Egyptian civilisation. It was an important strategic and commercial hub, known for its granite quarries, which supplied the stones for many of Egypt's iconic monuments, including obelisks, pyramids, and temples (See our blog in Giza (الجيزة)). The remnants of this ancient quarrying activities can still be seen at the unfinished obelisk (المسلة الناقصة, mslẗ nạqṣẗ) monument, offering insight into the techniques and tools used by the ancient Egyptians.

Aswan is also the heart of Nubia, a region that extends into modern-day Sudan (السودان, A s-Sūdān). The Nubian people have a distinct cultural heritage characterised by its own language, performance arts and colourful architecture. Nubian villages along the Nile are known for their brightly painted houses decorated with intricate geometric patterns and motifs that reflect Nubian beliefs and traditions. As a result Aswan is therefore another city listed as a UNESCO City of Crafts and Folk Art.

Geographically Aswan is situated in an important position along the Nile where it was (past tense) in the first location to experience the annual Nile flooding due to large change in altitude, resulting in the first major cataract or waterfall. These floods actually bring water with natural nutrients and minerals to enrich the fertile soil along the river, ever since ancient times, and that has always been the reason for the emergence of the Egyptian civilisation, especially near Aswan. To better control this water resource for agricultural and economic development and avoid disastrous flooding, the Aswan High Dam (السد العالي, Al-sadu Al-eali) was built in the mid-20th century CE. This also created one of the world's largest artificial lake in Lake Nasser (بحيرة ناصر , Boħeiret Nāṣer), which stretches more than 500 km in length. However it had been anticipated that construction of this dam and new formed lake would result in damaging or even submerging a large number of historic monuments near Aswan, and thus a major UNESCO campaign was conducted to save these monuments from disaster, one of them being the Temple of Philae (Greek : Φιλαί, Philai).

Toponymy

Aswan was known as 'Swnt' in Old Egyptian which is the namesake of the Egyptian goddess of childbirth. The world also means 'trade' in Old Egyptian.

See

We started our journey from the south at the Aswan dam and went northward along the direction of the water flow.

Aswan High Dam (السد العالي)

Built during the 1960s CE and one of the largest of its kind in the world, the Aswan High Dam replaced the old dam which was constructed in the late 19th century CE. The dam manages not only the necessary flooding control, but it also provides increased water storage generation of hydroelectricity to the entire country.

There is an important reason why we bring attention to this site. As aforementioned, due to the construction of this dam and the formation of Lake Nasser, a large number of monuments and architectural complexes were anticipated to be threatened by flooding, possibly submerging them underwater. These includes the Abu Simbel (أبو سمبل ) and Philae temples. As a result, UNESCO initiated a major rescue effort known as International Campaign to Save the Monuments of Nubia to safeguard these monuments. A number of these monuments were hence saved and as a matter of fact, this leads us to the establishment of UNESCO WHS.

From afar one can see the Russian-Egyptian Friendship Monument (نصب تذكاري للصداقة الروسية المصرية, Nusb Tadhkari Lilsadaqat Al-Ruwsiat Al-Misria) as the dam was financially supported by the then Soviet Union (Russian: Советский Союз, Sovetskiy Soyuz).

From a tourist viewpoint, this is really a bit of a letdown as there really is not much to see, even for me as a coastal engineer. Many of the areas are out of bounds.

Kalabsha (كلابشة)

Just next to the high dam is the site of the Temple of Kalabsha (كلابشة), which was relocated from more than 50 km south of Aswan. We could only see this from afar along the road when we were there.

The temple was built as a tribute to Mandulis (Egyptian: Mrwl, Merwel), a Nubian sun god, or the Egyptian equivalent of Horus (Egyptian: Ḥr.w), god of sun, sky and kingship. The temple was built during the Roman times but was never complete.

Kalabsha was the largest free-standing temple of Nubia and it took more than two years of engineering to relocate the structure to its current position. In spite of the fact that the building was never complete, it is regarded as one of the best examples of Egyptian architecture in Nubia.

Philae (فيلة)

The Temple of Philae was constructed during the period of the Ptolemaic Kingdom (Koinē Greek : Πτολεμαϊκὴ Βασιλεία , Ptolemaïkḕ Basileía) period, approximiately at 3rd century BCE when Egypt was under the Greece (Greek: Ελλάδα, Elláda) rule. As a result, the complex architectural features showcase exceptional Greek temple designs. The temple complex includes a main temple dedicated to Isis (Egyptian: Ꜣūsat), the goddess of motherhood, and to a lesser extent Osiris (Egyptian: wsjr). Smaller shrines are dedicated to other gods such as Hathor (Egyptian: Ḥwt-ḥr) and Horus.

The myth goes as Osiris, the god of afterlife, was lured and murdered by his jealous brother Set (Egyptian: Swtẖ), god of deserts and disaster, to take his throne. Set dismembered Osiris's body into fourteen pieces and scattered the body pieces across Egypt. Isis, Osiris's wife, searched the land to collect the pieces of her husband's body. With the help Thoth (Egyptian: Ḏḥwtj), the moon god, and Anubis (Egyptian: Anpu), god of the underworld, Isis managed to find and reassemble Osiris's body. However Isis managed to find all but one of the fourteen parts, except for his penis which had been eaten by a fish. Isis reassembled Osiris's body and breathed life to him so that they could give birth to their son Horus. Philae was believed to be the location where Isis found the final piece of Osiris's body, the heart, making it a sacred site for worshippers of Isis.

The myth of Isis and Osiris is hence a tale of life, death, resurrection, the struggle between good and evil with undertone of loyalty, devotion and love. Osiris's resurrection is symbolic of the cycles of nature and the promise of eternal life, themes that were central to ancient Egyptian religious beliefs. Philae was thence considered a holy place where the divine drama of Isis, Osiris, Set, and Horus unfolded. More of this myth to continue in the Elephantine (جزيرة الفنتين ) Island.

As afore-mentioned, due to the construction of the Aswan Dam in the 1960s CE, the original site of the temple on Island of Philae (فيلة, Fila) was threatened by rising waters. The entire temple complex was dismantled and relocated, block by block to the current site on Agilkia (أجيليك, Ajilik) Island, where it was carefully reconstructed. One needs to take a boat to reach the temple. The Philae island is now fully submerged under Lake Nasser.

One of the most iconic features of the temple is the massive gateway that leads into the main temple, as in picture above. The pylon is decorated with reliefs of Ptolemaic kings presenting offerings to Isis and other deities. Moreover the temple is conspicuous of its Greek Doric columns which is different from other Egyptian temples.

An interesting features of the reliefs on the facade shows that these sculptured reliefs are repeated mosaic. These walls show that the Ptolemaic builders did not understand Egyptian hieroglyphs and merely believed they were nice patterns or graphics without realising they were actually manuscripts reciting stories or prayers.

As the Roman Empire took over Egypt since 30 BCE, the worship of Isis and other ancient Egyptian deities gradually declined. However Philae remained a centre of Isis worship well into the 6th-century CE, making it one of the last strongholds of ancient Egyptian religion. Eventually, the temple was converted into a Christian church, with several of the reliefs being defaced or modified to reflect Christian iconography.

Unfinished obelisk (المسلة الناقصة)

Genuinely one of the most bizarre 'monuments' I have ever visited as this is an unfinished business, the unfinished obelisk is a gigantic piece of granite, supposed to be chiselled out from the quarry. Had it been completed, it would stand more than 40 m tall. However during the fabrication process which involved heating the rock, a crack is formed due to improper heating across the obelisk and hence it had to be abandonned, with the shaft still partly attached to the quarry parent rock. The reason to visit this monument is really to appreciate the ancient Egyptian craftsmanship and skills.

Mausoleum of Mohammed Shah Aga Khan (ضريح أغا خان)

Mausoleum of Mohammed Shah Aga Khan on the top left corner

Standing on a barren hillsdie on the west bank of the Nile, opposite bank to the Aswan city centre stands the Mausoleum of Mohammed Shah Aga Khan (ضريح أغا خان, Darih 'Agha Khan). The mausoleum is built for Aga Khan III (Persian : آقا خان سوم , Āqā Khān Suwwūm, né Sultan Mahomed Shah (Arabic : سلطان محمد شاه )), the imam (الإمام ) of the local branch of Shia (شيعي ) Islam. The mausoleum forbids visitors though and can only be viewed afar from the river.

Elephantine (جزيرة الفنتين)

Elephantine is a large island located in the middle of the Nile just outside Aswan and is famous for its archaeological excavations. The name apparently came from its big round boulders around its bank which resemble elephants.

The island is also remembered as the drama site involving the fight between Set and Horus. Recalling earlier the myth that Set took the throne by murdering Osiris. After Osiris and Isis's son Horus was born, Isis hid Horus in marshes near the Elephantine throughout his childhood to avoid Set and prepared him to avenge for his father. Eventually Horus grew up and pursued Set and they fought a number of battles, with one of the famous key battles being fought in Elephantine when Set took the form of a red hippopotamus and used storms as weapon. Set was ultimately defeated by Horus, who killed him with a harpoon.

Elephantine is also known for its importance in ivory trade. Trade routes along the Nile would stop on Elephantine to do trade. The island's location made it a natural cargo transfer point for river trade.

One of the most important artefacts of the Elephantine is the nilometer, a measurement device to measure the water level and water pollution of the Nile. This is found at an opening near the riverbank. Along the staircase, one will notice that the walls were calibrated to record the water level and hence to indicate the likely crop yield of the year. This in turn determines the amount of taxes the farmers had to pay. In fact the nilometer was still in used until the early 19th century CE.

The most important temple in the island is the Temple of Khnum (Egyptian: H̱nmw), god of the water level of Nile. Naturally Khnum is one of the earliest dieties of Egyptian civilisation. The temple, although reconstructed, is one of oldest ruins in the island.

Old Cataract Hotel (فندق أولد كتراكت)

Officially the Sofitel Legend Old Cataract Aswan (سوفيتيل ليجند أولد كاتاراكت أسوان), the legendary hotel was built by the famous travel-businessman Thomas Cook in 1899 CE. The hotel is the scene for Agatha Christie's novel Death on the Nile.

Nubian village (قرية نوبية)

The Nubian village (قرية نوبية, qaryat nwbia) is really a wonderful and colourful gem to visit. There are a number of these villages along the banks of the Nile and we spent a few hours on one. While clearly they are a bit of a tourist trap, but they do keep their Nubian tradition as much as possible. As a matter of fact the village reminds me of Arabic folk tales, with colours, smells and camels all around.

We visited a small house where we were served local tea. The host, obviously we need to pay for her service, pets a crocodile. Crocodiles are highly respected and worshipped as they are deified as Sobek (Egyptian: sbk), and is seen to protect against the danger from the Nile. Sobek is also worshipped as the god of fertility and military power.

More colours from the Nubian village.

Amongst the many sites in Aswan, we definitely enjoyed our time in the village most.

Buy and Do

Felucca (فَلُوكَة)

A felucca (Arabic: فَلُوكَة, falūka) is a traditional wooden wind-powered sail boat used in the Mediterranean, and finds its.way into the Nile as another tourist activity. We took the felucca to reach the Nubian village and the Elephantine and it was definitely a very good ride. The video below shows how the felucca set sails.

Hand-weave (نسج يدوي)

In both Aswan and the Nubian village, there are lots of local shops where artisans are hand-weaving fabrics. Hand-weaving in Upper Egypt (صعيد مصر , Ṣaʿīd Miṣr) is a deeply rooted tradition that reflects the region's rich cultural heritage and artisanal skills. This craft has been practiced for centuries, passed down through generations, and remains an integral part of the local economy and cultural identity. This has now been inscribed as an ICH.

In Upper Egypt, there is a long history of textile production dating back to ancient times. The skill of weaving was highly valued in ancient Egyptian society, and textiles were often used as offerings, trade goods, and even as currency, especially in Aswan where it was an important trading post in the past.

The local hand-weaving in Upper Egypt involves the use of traditional wooden looms, often operated by skilled artisans in small workshops or within their homes. The process is labour-intensive and requires a high level of expertise. Artisans meticulously weave cotton, wool, or linen threads into intricate patterns and designs, often drawing inspiration from the region's history, natural environment, and Islamic art. For example, the use of geometric patterns and motifs are inspired by nature and the artisan's connexion to their spiritual beliefs.

Eat and Drink

We were served the local corn-bread called kabed in Nobiin language in the Nubian village. It is served with either honey, milk or in our case sesame paste. It tastes and feels like a ciabatta. Worth a try!

Stay

Travelling along the Upper Egypt along the Nile is best done with the Nile cruises, and there are so many choices available. Most of them go from Aswan to / from Luxor (الأقصر, Al'Uqsar) and they stop daily here and there and provide visits to various monuments during the three or four night full-board journey. Many of them represent exceptional value-for-money, the one we took was Jaz Crown Prince (جاز كرون برينس), and our stay was impeccable. All the activities and visits, including all entry fees from Aswan to Luxor was included in our package which was around USD $500 per person only. There were also regular parties and shows inside the boat during the evening. Not the most luxurious boat but undoubtedly excellent!

Getting There and Around

We were on the cruise and a guide and coach were provided to us. I would suggest to stay in Aswan for at least two days to explore everything around the city.