There were some amazing Nubian artifacts as well as Egyptian artifacts
from Nubian areas during the periods of rule or influence by the
Egyptians. When the Upper Dam was built in the 1960's the Nubians were
affected dramatically. Most of their lands were flooded and not only
ancient monuments but also active villages needed to be re-located.
There were several exhibits showing how the various temples were saved from
the rising waters of Lake Nasser. Lily noticed they had pictures of
the Temple of Dendur
which we saw on our recent visit to
The Met in New York.
Just across the street there happened to be the 12th Aswan International
Sculpture Symposium. This is where sculptors from all over the world
come to Aswan and create original art. The artists choose a chunk of
Granite and then have 6 weeks to complete their work. It was cool to
visit since several artists where working on their works that day.
This symposium took place between January 27, 2007 and March 17, 2007.
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Obelisk and Baboons from the tomb of Ramses II at Abu Simbel. |
Lily liked the pictures of the Temple of Dendur at it's original location. |
Melanie referred to these as Howlee Mummies. |
Statue of Khakaure-Seneb, governor of Elephantine. |
Statue of Heqaib, governor of Elephantine. |
Interesting Sheep shaped Mummy? |
Model showing Nubia and all the temples that were moved. |
Early Nubians often buried personal items with the body. |
There were a lot more large game several millennia ago so early Nubians were most likely hunters. |
Granite statues of a hawk, symbol of the god Horus. |
Statue of Horemakhet, son of Shabaka and High Priest of Amun in Thebes. |
Awesome granite Scarab Beetle. |
Ramses II again? |
Figure of Christ surrounded by a man, eagle, calf and lion. |
Model of the Minaret of Bilal. |
Glass lamp decorated in the Mameluk style. |
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Lily and Melanie attempt to go native. |
Granite sculpture competition across the street. |
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Artists helping each other figure out a problem with a cutting tool. |
We took a water taxi ride down to near the lower dam to a Nubian Village
on the west bank of the Nile. On the way there we stopped to walk through
the Botanic Gardens which weren't that interesting. Once we got to the
village we were told not to talk to anyone and we just followed our guide
to a house where we learned a little (VERY little) about Nubian culture
and held baby Crocodiles. Then Lily and Melanie got henna tattoos.
After that we ran back to
the boat and went back. We all thought we were going to see more than the
inside of one person's house. A bit of a disappointment.
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