Today was a bit of a lazy day I'm afraid. I slept in pretty late, updated my iPhone software in hopes that I could sync the thing (haven't been able to do that for over a month) and then went on a brief tour of Aswan. We skipped the botanical gardens (you could see them all from the roads and they were small and weren't all that spectacular) and drove by the Christian church. Then we went to the dams.
There are two dams in Aswan. The low dam was built in 1902 by the British and got revamped and some height added over the years. But it really wasn't sufficient, so in 1971, Egypt finished work on the High Dam. This dam has 17 times more stone than the Great Pyramid of Giza and provides power for pretty much the whole country. The dam created Lake Nasser, which is the largest man-made lake in the world. It's more than 300 miles long and 10 miles wide. It stretches way down into Sudan.
After the dams, we went to a point between where we caught a boat to the Temple of Philae. This temple was built in honor of Isis. It was built mostly in the Ptolemaic dynasty, but the Romans had a hand in part of it when they came in to take over. Inside, you see Roman inscriptions as well as Italian names. Later, the Crusaders took over and turned the main hall into a church and etched crucifixes into the rock. The Crusaders also scratched off many of the detail on the original etchings. Bastards.
The temple originally stood on an island about 500 meters from where it is today. The building of the original dam caused the temple to be partially underwater part of the year. After the building of the high dam, the temple was completely submerged. The government authorized a 10-year project which moved the temple piece by piece to Aglikia Island where it stands today. There's a nightly sound and light show, but I think I'll wait and possibly do the one in Giza. All in all, an impressive temple that's immaculately preserved.
I have to go to bed now so that I can leave with the 3:45am convoy to Abu Simbel, which is 3 hours south near the Sudanese border. When I return to Aswan, I'll be put on my felucca and cruise to Luxor for 3 days and 2 nights. I'll certainly blog if I can, but I really don't think it will happen. Fear not -- I'll catch you all up when I arrive in Luxor. I have 3 nights there, so there will be plenty of time.
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2 comments:
Sounds like you're having a great time...and then get to gone on a felucca and to Luxor! How much longer do you get to travel?
I come home on October 18th. I have to say, I'm anxious to wear some different clothes and sleep in my own bed.
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