Home - Aswan

We are on the cruise ship “Serenade” going up the Nile, which is going south since the Nile runs north. (“Upper Egypt” is southern Egypt and “Lower Egypt” northern. When our tour guide, Hesham, talks about this, he says that America and all those other countries work upside down.) We are spending four nights on the Serenade, traveling on it from Luxor to Aswan. In Luxor, we saw the Karnak Temple and the Luxor Temple. We also visited the Valley of the Queens and the Valley of the Kings, where King Tut’s tomb was found. We saw current excavations taking place there, and that was very interesting. There were many Egyptian men digging, chiseling, hammering, and carrying stone and debris. Most of them were wearing their traditional religious garb. I was surprised at how primitive the process of excavating is, but I suppose that it must be since only human hands can feel an artifact. We have also visited the Edfu Temple, Kom Ombo Temple, and Phile Temple. The Phile Temple, which we visited in Aswan, is on an island in the Nile. However, the island that we visited it on is not the island on which it was built. It was built on a different island and then, because of flooding, had to be dismantled, moved and reconstructed. The temple was moved from 1972-1980.

At the Valley of the Queens, I was particularly moved by seeing the skeleton of a six-month-old fetus in the tomb of Prince Amunherkhepeshef. The remains are well over three thousand years old, yet the skeleton appeared to be in excellent condition. On the feet, I could see the individual formations of every toe-bone. I came close to tears at this sight because it was an undeniable visible reminder that a fetus is a life.

In addition to basic accounts of what we are doing and seeing on the trip, I also plan to include in this blog random accounts of funny, interesting, and unexpected things that happen to us.
On the cruise ship, Mary and I had an adventure washing our jeans in the tiny sink and shower in our cabin. Somehow we both fit into the bathroom to do this, but we still aren’t sure how that worked. This will be the required method of washing clothes on this trip!

There is a little gift shop by the dining room on the boat, and the men who work there don’t seem to have had much business. They are very pushy with their products. Cartouches are the ancient Egyptian symbol for eternity or everlasting life, and they are inscribed all over the temples. The gift shop sells cartouche bracelets, and when we were waiting outside of the dining hall for lunch to start, one of the vendors was advertising the silver bracelet cartouches. He said that they are $25 dollars, or $20, “I don’t mind.” I found it amusing that the price, even on this cruise ship, was so flexible.

Egypt is a predominantly Muslim country, about 85% of the population being Muslim. The call to prayer is sounded through the cities five times a day, and all the Muslims must fall and pray. Though others in the group have, I have not yet seen anybody pull out a carpet to pray during these times. In the store selling the papyrus papers, one of the workers pulled out a carpet to pray when the call sounded, as he was working. Though I am not Muslim, I think there is a lot to learn from this devotion, if genuine, and from the constant practice of the presence of God.

We just got back from the street markets in Aswan. They were selling all sorts of things, and peddling is expected. The vendors chase after you, and you must learn to not make eye contact or stall. Even children run at you, and they are fearless. I would definitely describe these people as confrontational, but it’s not dangerous because there are so many people around. I only bought some needed shampoo, so I look forward to more market shopping in Cairo.