Handpicked experience · Aswan
Aswan, Egypt
Nubian kings once ruled Egypt as pharaohs, and the painted village you visit exists on this bank because the old one is at the bottom of Lake Nasser.
A people whose own account of themselves predates the pharaohs
Kingdoms that rose and fell along one stretch of river
Painted architecture rebuilt after a homeland was flooded
Crafts bought from the household that made them
A Nile crossing that is part of the afternoon rather than transfer time
An afternoon boat ride up the Nile from Aswan to a Nubian village on the far bank, with a guided walk through the lanes, craft demonstrations, and time among the painted houses.
Nubians are not Egyptian Arabs and do not describe themselves as such. They are a distinct people with their own languages — Nobiin and Kenzi among them, unrelated to Arabic — and a history along this stretch of river that goes back further than the pharaohs.
Nubia was a kingdom, repeatedly. At one point in the eighth century BC Nubian kings conquered Egypt and ruled it as pharaohs for the better part of a century, a dynasty Egyptian records were later reluctant to dwell on. Later Nubia was Christian for around seven hundred years, longer than most of Europe had been at the time.
The village you are visiting is on this stretch of river because the old one is underwater.
When Lake Nasser filled behind the High Dam in the nineteen-sixties, it flooded the Nubian homeland — several hundred kilometres of inhabited valley. Well over a hundred thousand people were moved, most of them resettled far from the river in planned villages that were not what they had left. Some communities relocated closer to Aswan and rebuilt where they could still see the Nile.
That history is not a sad footnote to a colourful afternoon; it is why the afternoon exists. The bright paint, the domed roofs and the decorated doorways are a tradition carried out of a drowned country and reconstructed on new ground. Ask about it if it feels right to ask. Most people here will tell you, and many have relatives who remember the move.
The village economy now includes visitors, and the crafts on offer are genuinely made in the houses you walk past — woven baskets, textiles, beadwork and spices.
Prices are negotiated, and that is normal rather than adversarial; the first figure is an opening position and a counter is expected. Buying directly from a maker puts more in the household than buying the same object in Aswan. If you are not going to buy, saying so pleasantly is better than a vague maybe, and nobody will be offended.
Photographing people requires asking first, as it would anywhere. Children will ask to be photographed and often ask for something in return; giving sweets or money to children is discouraged by most community organisations here, and a straight refusal is fine.
The boat is shared and the crossing takes a while each way, which is part of the outing rather than dead time.
Village lanes are sand and uneven paving. It is hot until late in the afternoon, there is limited shade between houses, and there are few public facilities — use those at the boat or in Aswan. Bring small notes, since change for large ones is scarce, and cover shoulders and knees: this is somebody's home neighbourhood rather than an attraction built for visits.
Open it to pick a date and work out the price.
What the fare covers, and what to budget for separately.
The practical detail, and the answers people actually ask for.
No, and they do not describe themselves that way. They are a distinct people with their own languages, including Nobiin and Kenzi, which are unrelated to Arabic.
Further than the pharaohs on this stretch of river. Nubia was an independent kingdom repeatedly over that span.
As a source of considerable pride locally, and it is taught in Sudan as national history rather than as a footnote to Egypt's.
It gave way gradually to Islam over several centuries rather than at a single moment, and the transition was slow enough to leave overlapping traces.
Because the old one is underwater. Lake Nasser flooded the Nubian homeland and well over a hundred thousand people were resettled.
Generally yes, if it feels right to ask. Many people here have relatives who remember the move and will tell you about it.
Palm fibre, cotton, wool and glass beads, mostly worked at home rather than in a workshop.
Interiors and women, unless you have been clearly invited to. When in doubt, do not raise the camera.