Our afternoon adventure involved cruising down the Nile in a felucca, a traditional wooden sailing boat. The boat had bench seats with comfortable cushions, a canvas cover to provide shade, and a couple of local sailors who showed us the sights and serenaded us with some traditional music.
Among the sights we saw were Elephantine Island and the Aga Khan Mausoleum.
The unfinished obelisk, which is 137 feet tall and weighs 1,200 tons, is the tallest and heaviest obelisk ever built in ancient Egypt. It is about 3,500 years old and is believed to have been commissioned by Hatshepsut, a former queen who assumed the role of pharaoh following her husband's death.
The red granite structure was carved directly into the bedrock in a red granite quarry, but the project was abandoned when cracks and fissures began to develop. The stoneworkers used small hand sized rocks of diorite to create the obelisk.
Lake Nasser, which was created by the Aswan High Dam, is one of the world's largest man-made lakes. The lake is nearly 300 miles long and about 10 miles wide. As a result of building the dam, which took place between 1960 and 1970, large numbers of people had to be relocated as did numerous ancient temples and artifacts.
We enjoyed a boat tour on the lake that dropped us off right at the Philae Temple.
Philae was an island in the Nile River which was believed by the ancient Egyptians to be a holy place for the goddess Isis. As a result, several pharaohs built temples and shrines there. The main temple was dedicated to Isis and other smaller shrines were built to honor other gods and goddesses.
The temple complex was dismantled and moved to Agilika Island in order to preserve the monuments when the Aswan High Dam was built between 1960 and 1970.
The decoration on the walls of the temple primarily show the story of Osiris, the husband of Isis.
The Romans took over the rule of Egypt in 30 BC and continued to use the temple. Eventually, as the primary religion in Rome turned to Christianity, the Philae Temples were used as Christian Churches.
There were several shops that seemed to be set up for the tourists so they could purchase home-made Egyptian goods. Shown here are a few of the more colorful and interesting shop displays that we saw.
As we cruised along the Nile, we were treated to many interesting slice of life moments provided by the locals. There were lots of swimmers and fishermen along the way as well as some interesting birdlife and livestock.
One morning we were treated to a large flock of hot air balloons rising above the river. Another morning we moved from one area of the river to another through the use of navigation locks. There was always something unique to see along the Nile.
It is interesting to note that most of the towns that we saw were situated in a narrow strip along the riverbanks of the Nile. We could often see large expanses of open spaces and desert region as you looked inland from the river. Water definitely plays an important role in the development of this area.
The Temple of Kom Ombo is uniquely designed because it is a double temple, dedicated to two gods, and it is perfectly symmetrical on each side. There are two entrances, two central hallways held up by a series of columns, and twin sanctuaries. Half of the temple was dedicated to Sobek, the crocodile god. The other half was dedicated to Haroeris, the falcon god.
The name Kom Ombo means mound of gold and it probably refers to the temple's proximity to a gold mine that existed during ancient times in the same area.
Among the symbolic and historical scenes that were carved on the temple walls at Kom Ombo, there is a section (shown in the first photo) showing a series of surgical instruments that was believed to have been carved in the second century AD. While primitive by today's standards, ancient Egyptian medicine was very sophisticated for its time.
