At 6AM our alarm rings and by 6:30AM we are watching the sun rise over the Nile from our cabin! Stunning! We are moving along past sandbars and shores with tall grasses and palm trees and grassy areas and then sandy hills where the Nile's waters don't reach and past farmers and donkeys and horse carriages and small villages ... the life of Egypt along the Nile. What a glorious way to start the day!
After breakfast we leave the boat and walk to the Crocodile Temple (also known as the Double Temple) in Kom Ombo. This temple is in its original location on a high bank along the river. It is a very large temple where the priests worshipped the crocodile, kept and held crocodiles in high honor, and mummified crocodiles at their death. Here we saw an excellent example of a Nileometer, a large well-like structure where the height to which the Nile rose was measured and used to determine what taxes would be levied that year: high water meant high taxes because the fertility of the land would be great after the high flooding of the Nile. Nearby we saw a crocodile well where the crocodiles were kept, fed, and worshipped! At this temple we saw our first hieroglyph of a woman squatting to deliver a baby! And we also saw the first and only hieroglyph of a medicine bag with all the instruments and materials used by doctors in ancient Egypt. And we also saw the huge ears through which the priests listened to the prayers of men and answered them (think confessionals). Again we saw lots of Greek and Roman influences in architecture and carvings as well as in the combination of Greek and Roman gods with Egyptian gods.
As we departed the temple there was a mass of children and adults trying to sell us anything we would buy. It was one of the worst scenes we experienced in the entire trip. Under Mubarak all vendors had to be licensed and therefore they were a bit better controlled. Since the revolution there is no licensure and anyone can beg and try to sell whatever people will buy. Much of the merchandise was the same from one place to another. Apparently the wholesalers have quite a system for producing what the tourists will buy and distributing it through a network of vendors. When I asked Mohamed about this process, I did not get the impression that there is any racket to the process as there is in India where children can be enslaved for their services. I hope that practice does not become common in Egypt.
Mohamed led us to a tourist farm, that is an Egyptian farm set up as a demonstration of Egyptian farm life for tourists. We sampled basil and mint and fed alfalfa to goats, horses, and donkeys. We saw the structure of the home and the workshop for pottery and palm frond chairs (wish we could have brought a few of these home to the farm) and learned about methods of farming invented by Egyptians thousands of years ago and still in use today.
We returned to the boat and visited with others on our tour prior to the tour of the boat. Harold went on the tour while I journaled about the past several days experiences.
After lunch we had another incredible afternoon! We disembarked in Edfu and selected horse-drawn carriages to take us through Edfu and to the Temple of Horus, son of Isis and Osiris. Our driver Mohamed (nearly one in every two Egyptian men is named Mohamed, I think) drove a very lean horse (most ribs showing) but we processed through the streets of Edfu with only a few instances of concern about whether the horse would be able to continue. Mohamed (our driver) took our picture and we took pictures of others from our group as their carriages passed ours or lingered behind ours! It was an amazing ride through the streets of Edfu ... people everywhere, shopping, crossing streets, arguing, and VOTING! It was election day in Edfu and it appeared that everyone wanted to participate. How exciting! It was election day in Aswan when we were there, but we did not see the lines at voting locations that we saw here in Edfu. Campaigning was going strong everywhere with banners and vehicles with signs and graffiti in many places we visited. Along the way there were several large intersections with traffic going every which way ... just like in India but without the cows! Vendors sold colorful fruits and vegetables from street wagons and stalls and other products seemed to be in abundance as well. This horse carriage journey remains one of the highlights of our trip!
At the temple, traditional vendors (those who previously were licensed by the state) greeted us and Mohamed assured them that we would have time to shop after our temple visit. One vendor wrapped Harold's head with a pale blue scarf and Harold promised to come to his stall after the tour!
The Horus temple is the largest one we have visited so far ... I think the tour is planned this way! Horus is represented by the falcon and the temple is full of falcons. The approach area to the temple is large, expansive, as if to say this is really an important place. With the vendors outside the temple and the economy in turmoil, we are able to visit this temple at leisure, just as in other places, with virtually no other tourists to compete for sight lines!
The courtyard beyond the traditional hypostyle hall is the largest yet and we can imagine the pharoah visiting this temple and enjoying a respite from his daily responsibilities. I really enjoyed wandering through the area and soaking in whatever essence of the past was there. The huge falcon statues were the highlight!
Eventually it is time to pay the piper so to speak so we leave the temple area and find the scarf vendor who strikes a "deal" for us for a dress for me, two scarves, a head piece for men, and possibly some other items that I can't remember ... not our best decision-making here!
We reunite with our driver and carriage and experience another interesting carriage ride back to the boat ... people watching at its best ... feeling the organized commotion of the streets of Edfu ... priceless!
We refresh ourselves and join the tour group for a discussion of Egypt Today. We have interesting 1 1/2 hour session of questions and answers with Mohamed about political and religious forces in Egypt, the Muslim Brotherhood, the Salafis, the liberals, the police, the military, the elections plus Shirrea law and the teachings and interpretations of the teachings of Mohammed, equality of women in Egyptian society including the workplace and more. What a stimulating and challenging conversation.
After dinner aboard we do some more shopping at the ship's gift shop. During the night we are aware that we are passing through the locks as we travel down the Nile and wish we were able to be awake but sleep calls.
No comments:
Post a Comment