Aswan has been the link between Nubia and Egypt throughout history, a crossroads and mercantile center. it is a large and bustling city with many languages, peoples, and cultures meeting along the Corniche and in the market. One of the best ways to see Aswan is by felucca, sailing along the river among the islands. Kitchener's island with its botanical garden and Elephantine island with its Nilometer are two popular stops. To the south, you can drive across and tour the High Dam. The first dam at Aswan was built in 1902, but it is the High Dam that changed the face of Egypt in modern times. This enormous structure created Lake Nasser and forever ended the annual inundation that set the seasons of the Nile. Although the dam does provide some hydroelectric power, its primary use is to increase arable land on the banks of the Nile and to control flooding. One unfortunate consequence was the flooding of the Lake Nasser area, which required many Nubian villages to move up the Nile to the north of Aswan and threatened dozens of archeological sites with flooding. UNESCO famously saved Abu Simbel and other temples by cutting them into blocks and raising them to new locations above the new water level, but many remain flooded. The humidity created by the large expanse of water has also changed the climate of Upper Egypt and Nubia, though its long-term consequences are unknown.
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Go to Egypt Photo Database Page