by Diana Coode

Created on: March 19, 2009   Last Updated: March 20, 2009

Aswan and the Nile

Aswan is where the railway line ends. So does the Egyptian Nile. As the country's most southerly city, there is only the road to Abu Simbel and boats on Lake Nasser that will take you to the border with Sudan. But, like visitors from down the centuries, it was Aswan we had come to see.

Our morning train from Luxor had slowly swayed and rattled down the Nile valley, giving us occasional glimpses of the river itself. There were few towns so, as we neared Aswan, the sprawling suburbs were something of a surprise but, most of the hotels and places of interest are close to the Corniche El Nil, the main road running along the river's eastern bank. The walk to our hotel allowed us to absorb those first impressions. The town seemed more attractive and the streets less chaotic than Luxor and, there were African features on many of the faces we passed. This region is known as Nubia and, although not a separate country, it has its own culture and history and tongue.

On arrival at the hotel it was clear we had not made a wise choice. The phrase you get what you pay for came to mind but, it was only for a few nights and, from our balcony there were views down to the river and the dunes on the far side. There are lots of reasons to come to Aswan, its lovely setting being one, for it is here that the Nile narrows, there are gigantic smooth rocks and islands, whilst picture postcard sand dunes on the opposite bank form an idyllic backdrop to the feluccas sailing gracefully up and down. We couldn't wait to see it all for ourselves next day.

Simply wandering around any new place is, for us, as interesting as seeing the famous sites. Once darkness had fallen, we headed into the usual maze of back streets and lanes but surprisingly, the souk (market) had been modernised with a grand granite avenue running through. Most foreigners here were in groups from the cruise boats, mainly French and Germans, so the shop keepers greeted us with Guten Abend and Bonjour and goods priced in Euros. Unfortunately we were in need of bottled water, tomatoes and bread rather than stuffed camels and belly dancing clothes, so we continued to explore.

Aswan is famous for its dam so our first excursion the next day took us there. In reality there are two dams, the original one built by the British more than 100 years ago. In the 1960's it was clear that a new dam was needed and the High Dam, about 12 kms further south, was constructed, an enormous project which created Lake Nassar, stretching

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