Day 4 Egypt Ms.Sarah
Day 4–Aswan/Nile Cruise
Our day began with a tour of the Aswan Dam and the High Dam. The Aswan Dam was built by the British between 1898 and 1901. It was the largest dam in the world at the time of its construction and its height has been raised twice to control the Nile. The roads to Abu Simbel and the airport which we used yesterday cross these roads.
The High Dam was built under President Nasser’s term in 1964 with help from Russia to the tune of $450,000,000. It is 22,562 feet across, 364 feet, and 3,214 feet wide at its base. Lake Nasser was created behind the dam. Both dams are guarded by the military because should the dams ever be attacked, Egypt would very quickly be flooded.
At the western end of the dam is a lotus-shaped monument commemorating Russia’s support in building the dam.
Our next visit was to the Temple of Philae, dedicated to the goddess Isis. The cult of Isis was originally located at Luxor, but the pilgrimages became too crowded so they built a temple in 285 BC on the island of Philae. After after the High Dam was built, the temple sat half submerged until it was relocated to its present location of Agilika to avoid further destruction. Interestingly, the island of Agilika was landscaped to look like Philae.
Thereafter temples were built 60 kilometers apart not only to avoid the overcrowding situation but to obtain more taxing districts.
Other smaller buildings located around the temple itself include the Kiosk of Nectanebo II, the Gate of Hadrian, the Temple of Hathor, the Kiosk of Trajan, the Temple of Augustus, and the Gate of Diocletian.
The last hieroglyphic text appears in the Gate of Hadrian in 394 AD.
The Unfinished Obelisk was our next stop. As the name implies, this gigantic obelisk, dating from the New Kingdom, was commissioned by Queen Hatshepsut and is indeed unfinished and was therefore left in place owing to a large, unrepairable crack that developed, rendering the obelisk useless. Had it been completed it would have weighed a staggering 1197 tons and stood 134 feet high. One has to do a bit of uphill hiking to reach it and once there, one can, besides seeing the three sides completely finished carved, see the flaw as well as examples of the stones used in shaping and sanding the obelisk and a bit of writing on the surrounding rock cliffs from the workers keeping count of the work. An interesting fact about polishing the obelisks: the obelisks were covered in mud from the Nile and “other material” (unspecified in the recipe). Once dried, cedar wood was placed on top and set afire until the stone was very hot. Cold water was then thrown on it causing the surface to glaze. Granite is so hard and an igneous rock that fire is the only way to create the desired finish. Rubbing the surface with cloth then added the sheen.
Last stop for the day was a gold and jewelry shop. Lots of beautiful items there.
