Sailing on the Nile – November 2020
For four days we sailed upriver (south) on the Nile River in a dahabiya from Luxor to Aswan. What a wonderful experience that was!! When there was not enough wind a tug boat gently towed us, our four traveling companions, guide, and crew for the 5-cabin vessel.
Along the journey we saw many local boatmen transporting people and goods, fishing, or just enjoying the peaceful waters.
Slapping the water to attract fish 
We also photographed a few feathered creatures.
Little egret 
Purple heron and black-winged stilts 
Black-headed heron 
Black kite
One evening we enjoyed a scrumptious candlelight dinner along the shore, followed by a campfire and Egyptian music.
On each day of our cruise we went on one or more excursions, including to temples in the cities of Esna, Edfu, and Aswan. Mohammed, our guide, walked with us through the beautiful temples, each with unique features.
Temple of Khnum in Esna – Just before lunch we explored the hypostyle hall of this 2nd century BC temple. Excavators discovered the building 9 meters below the current street level and believe that other temple buildings are still buried beneath the nearby buildings of the modern town. Unlike many ancient temples, the roof of the hypostyle hall is still intact and we were thankful for the shade it provided.
We really liked the 24 very intricate column capitals which display palm leaves, lotus buds, papyrus fans, grape bunches, as well as other nature details. The upper portions of some of the columns have even retained a bit of the original painted color. And restoration workers were enhancing the colors of one capital during our visit with very impressive results!!
Results of restoration work
Temple of Edfu – Dedicated to the falcon god Horus, this complex is the second largest ancient Egyptian temple and took 200 years to complete. It stands several kilometers away from the Nile River. Fortunately, Mustaffa transported us from the boat to the temple in his horse carriage.
Large relief of battle scene 
Replica of Horus’ boat
Displayed in Holy of Holies chamber
Statues and reliefs
Horus, god of kingship & sky
local god of Edfu
Horus wearing the double crown of Egypt, representing sovereignty over both the north and south 
Empty cartouche for name of future pharaoh 
Ancient Egyptian WiFi 
Horus hunting hippos with his mother Isis (goddess of magic, fertility, & motherhood)
Hippos lived in the Edfu area during the ancient Egyptian period.
Kom Ombo Temple in Aswan – The complex houses two complete temples standing side by side. Mohammed pointed out the two entrances, one for the god Horus and one for the god Sobek, and he explained that the two gods regularly fought so they could not share one temple.
Crocodiles lived in the Aswan part of the Nile River during the 4th century BC. They frequently wandered around the temple exterior and sometimes even inside the complex. Artisans included crocodile reliefs in the temple, especially images of Sobek, the crocodile-headed god.
Sobek (god of power & strength)
Other reliefs
Surgical tools for mummification 
We also visited the adjacent museum, which includes more than 300 crocodile mummies that were discovered inside the temple.
It is special to share in your journeys through your posts. Seeing your pictures and reading about your visit to Egypt reignited memories of being in Egypt in the mid 60’s. Some things from the past have not change although much in today’s world has changed. It was a simpler time for international travel in the 60’s.
Looking forward to the next go-see-do-be.👍