This is the 3rd part of my Day One’s Aswan Chronicles series of post, you can check the Aswan Chronicles Day One: Part one about Aswan High Dam and Part two about the amazing Island of Philae.
The Aswan plants island aka Kitchener’s island needs more attention, it is like a forgotten piece of paradise in Egypt.
I can’t imagine how this island will be like in the time of Spring !! I want to be there.
I did not stay for a long time there but I saw amazing long trees from around the globe on this island. Thank Goodness it was not an Island in Cairo or Giza, God knows what would happen to this island. I do not think all military commanders were like Lord Kitchener when it comes to that amazing hobby. The view is amazing from there. I mean in Egypt now any police or general retired general would sell such beautiful island for the highest price !!
The Nile River in Aswan is nothing like in Cairo, it runs wild and freely in Aswan while in Cairo it has all the diseases the old capital suffer from, unfortunately.
The Nile Cataracts or rather the first Nile Cataract in Aswan is amazing, really amazing, I caught it on video but I know it is not like anything you can see on TV or newspaper, You have to be on a boat in order to feel it with the fresh water splash on your face.
The Islands of the Nile are so so so so so beautiful, already many of them are considered national reserves.
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| A bird at Egypt's Aswan |
I think the name of that island is the Al Anam island, of course, it is still there.
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| A Nile Felucca in action at Egypt's Aswan |
According to our tour guide, Gamal Mubarak is allegedly from the owners of some hotel called Isis Hotel island “Actually it is owned by Pyramisa Hotels and Resorts” and using Gamal’s influence Movenpick Hotel Resort had to stop its plans to build another extension to its resort in that significant island in the Nile so it will not compete the Isis Hotel. The Isis Hotel is allegedly built on a national reserve itself.
Only after the ousting of Mubarak, Movenpick started to build that extension. I do not know how much of this is true, but I found it interesting.
Question: Why is the villa of Mohamed Monuir considered a significant place in Aswan with all the amazing places there?
The Aga Khan III Mausoleum looks more interesting to me. The Agha Khan Mausoleum is not opened for visitors except the Ismaili Muslims according to our tour guide.
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| Mausoleum of Aga Khan in Egypt's Aswan |
I went to a Nubian village where we were hosted in a Nubian house and saw small crocodiles as well as beautiful paintings. Unfortunately, I could not feel my legs then.
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| Spices of Egypt's Aswan |
The tombs of the Nobles in Aswan in the heart of the Nile look magical.
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| The Nobles tombs in Egypt's Aswan |
I love Aswan so much, May God bless this beautiful city and its beautiful kind people.
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| Paintings inside a Nubian House |
Ok, folks, this is the last part in my Day One Aswan Chronicles, Oh yes I have visited all those places “ in one day and even wrote all these remarks before heading to bed on February 8,2012.
Wait for Day two ISA
Hi Zenobia! I love your blog! It really helps me keep up to date with key news stories happening in Egypt! Do you reccommend any online Egyptian newspapers in English that are reliable and not biased!! Unfortunately i'm very slow at reading arabic, so its very frustrating to try and read quick headlines before school when i spend a lot of time and concentration on just one sentence!! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteKind people...bumbling simpletons - as portrayed in your media but they know how and when to get their rights...
ReplyDeletehttp://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/35168/Egypt/Politics-/Egypt-govt-grants-Nubians-ownership-of-homes-inhab.aspx
Kitchener was the leader of the campaign and army that comprised Egyptian foot-soldiers that 'reconquered' Sudan after the establishment of the independent, Sudanese Mahdist State.
You seem to respect him as much as you detest Mubarak.
Zeinobia, you could perfectly capture and document some amazing photographs for Aswan, but trust me, as I'm from Aswan, You can't talk about a place without mentioning the people live in.
ReplyDeleteIn history, Aswan played great roles during the pharaohs and through the Coptic and Muslims eras. Nubian people should be considered as the main reason of Egypt existence, and of course the high dam was built on their lands and history. The UN could save Philae and Abu Simbel temples, but more than forty (40) villages drown under the water.
Dislodgment is not a sacrifice, and Nasser did not recompense the Nubians, and he gave "some" of them lame houses in an isolated area east of Kom Ombo.
The last three regimes neglected upper Egypt in general, and because of the high dam, and the Lake (considered as a treasure by the last regime), army is possessing all the lands in Aswan city, you can imagine of course, development is ZERO!.
Meanwhile the capital and the rich cities are building golf courts and 5 stars resorts. How could you feel it if the state seized your family's properties, memories, culture, and everything, and put you in a small house in the desert! and the state took the energy they wanted to develop the country, but they developed for the corrupted rich down there!
My last word to you, you are a gifted photographer and you documented the scenes perfectly, but you forgot to know well about the people live in Aswan.
Unfortunately Blogy I could not stay more than day and a half in Aswan , I could not stay more and interact with the people despite if you read my first part , I wrote down my remarks.
DeleteOf course the first remark that comes to my mind now is that people there are affected by the lack of tourism more than we think
You see blogy?
ReplyDeleteFait accompli - Those southern black Egyptians (whose ethno-cultural-linguistic heritage doesn't even deserve mention) are already surviving as tourist accessories so to hell with their suffering and history...
The more things change, the more things stay the same...
Nubians are marginalised in Egypt: culturally, linguistically and socio-economically (and the ludicrous example of Sadat's mother whom Heikal used to insult him is a worthless defence).
Choosing to laud Nasser's dam and mentioning the 'workers' who built it whilst not mentioning the people who were forced off of their land and had their heritage and livelihoods destroyed, not just in Egypt but across the border in Sudan, is insulting and arrogant and I'm glad that it's not just a Sudanese Nubian like myself who thinks so.
Beautiful natural surroundings! The Nile at Aswan is certainly the most beautiful part of the river.
ReplyDelete