ASWAN

When you think of Aswan – no longer think merely of a dam in the desert on the Nile. Think of felucca’s, flowers, weavers, Nubian music and spice shop owners named Mohammed-Ahmed.

Ruby: Ruby gets her picture taken - somebody takes her picture at the same time. 

Katie: That somebody is KatieMom who thinks this is a great picture cause it takes her back to the days when Ruby was about 2 and would get down on one knee, turn the disposable camera sideways and pretend to be a photographer. A premonition of things to come. 

Ruby: What a pretty flower. We are at the botanical gardens!  

Katie: The botanical gardens are on their own island in the middle of the Nile called Kitchner Island – nice place to stroll around, quiet and breezy with a herbarium filled with pressings of old plants and flowers.

Cool looking bark of a big tall palm tree in the gardens.

Katie: “Sausage tree” the most aptly named plant I have ever seen!

Aga Khan's palace on the west bank of the Nile

Ruby: Someone makes our scarf. He’s so talented!!

Katie: We sat down after a walk through a Nubian village on Elephantine Island, at Baba Dool’s rest café. Had a glass of tea or two and whiled away a few hours. During that short time we watched a weaver make a shawl we could not leave without. It kept me warm on the ferry back to town and kept Ruby warm as we walked back through the bazaar to our hostel. 

Ruby:  Ruby, Paul, and Katie are on a felucca. What a great view! 

Nubian warriors from the Nubian museum

Ruby: Our new friends! How dare they give me bunny ears!! 

Katie: This is Khalid and Said, our waiters at the restaurant on a boat docked on the Nile. The view from our table is the picture below. They treated us well, taught us about Nubian music (we are now fans of Hamza El Din!)  and did magic tricks for us and the only other table in the house that night. They are hurting for tourists here – they are hurting everywhere in Egypt. Many shopkeepers asked us what they said about Egypt back in America and told us we should tell them it is okay here, it is okay to come to Egypt.  I believe it is true and am passing it along.

Ruby and Paul sipping hibiscus tea, considering the spice man's sales pitch.

Katie – This is the spice shop owner whose name is… Mohammed-Ahmed Mohammed-Ahmed Mohammed-Ahmed Mohammed-Ahmed…I kid you not. His first son’s name is Mustofa Mohammed-Ahmed Mohammed-Ahmed Mohammed-Ahmed. His second son’s name is…well…you get the picture. In Egypt there are no last names -  no tribal names. So a person is given a first first name like Mustofa or Miriam and then they take the next 2 or 3 names from their father. Naming a child after the father certainly took an  interesting turn in Mohammed-Ahmed Mohammed-Ahmed Mohammed-Ahmed Mohammed-Ahmed’s case - generations with a sense of humor!

Window sill in the Nubian village