Aswan. Adieu!

Our last day in Aswan was just good clean tourist fun.  Plenty of time for a nice breakfast and a reasonable departure time from the hotel made for an auspicious beginning that suited me just fine.  Check-out was easy, our final water shuttle journey, uneventful, and a short (really short) bus ride to the next boat launch kept the pace light and easy.  Our destination was Elephantine Island for a tour of "The Tombs of the Nobles" and Saint Simeon Monastery, and lunch, of course.

Elephantine Island is a desolate place that doesn't seem to draw any benefit from being in the middle of the Nile.  Much to my surprise, we were greeted by a host of camels and their handlers, who, we were informed were going to be an integral part of our exploration!  Some of our party immediately opted out and stayed with the boat which was offered as an option, but the whole idea appealed to me, so I picked out my camel, and we were off.

Elephantine Island Mass Transit System

First stop, Tombs of the Nobles.  These tombs are among some of the oldest in Egypt, dating back to the Old Kingdom.  Their inhabitants were important people of their time, governors, high-ranking administrators et cetera, and in some cases, their wives and families.  Obviously, they are no where near as grand as the tombs of the kings and queens, but impressive, just the same, and for a change, photography was allowed!

Entrance to one of several tombs complexes

Mohamed the educator at work!

 Our next destination was an hour camel ride to the ruins of the Monastery of Saint Simeon.  This monastery was built in the 7th century, and, at its peak, housed 300 monks and had room for 100 guests.  It was built around the "cell" of a 4th century desert monk named Anba Hedra, commemorated as St. Simeon by the Coptic Church.  He was a devotee of St. Anthony of the Desert and like his mentor, a lunatic solitary of that era.   These desert fathers and mothers were all nuts, and their ascetic practices made them even nuttier.  St. Simeon, for example, sculpted a niche into the ceiling of his cell to which he attached his beard (Mohamed said, his hair), and bore an additional hole nearby for his finger to be inserted, so that he would not be able to fall asleep during his endless prayer times.

The "cell" of Anba Hedra

His beard/hair stanchion

The ruins of mud brick and stone are impressive even though they have remained essentially unchanged since the monastery was attacked and destroyed by Saladin in 1173.  Areas like the guest house and the sanctuary and choir are easily identifiable, and I have to admit to feeling a modicum of spiritual power still emanating from the place.  It is hard to imagine what life must have been like for those living in this desolate site 1,500 years ago.  Mohamed said that they supported themselves by making and selling pottery.  To whom?  Where?  It must have been a model of organization and cooperation since the nearest water is the Nile, nearly a mile away and no vegetation to be found!  Like I said, NUTS!

Guesthouse, Saint Simeon Monastery

Choir Apse, Saint Simeon Monastery

As we were ready to depart, we discovered that our camels were missing.  We were informed that the handlers had taken them for water, and they would be back soon, and sure enough, on the horizon, a herd of galloping camels soon appeared.  I have to say that those "ships of the desert" appeared far happier than when plodding along at tourist pace with our unskilled, naive group on their backs.  The most precarious part of riding a camel is getting on and getting off, which I accomplished today on three separate occasions.  The second most precarious part is holding your seat on any downhill grade.  Maybe, stirrups would help?  Or a seat belt!

Me and Lolo the camel (with an attitude!)

Friends for a day (and a fee)

After a nice lunch and much appreciated rest stop at an island restaurant, we were again shore bound to a bus and a short trip to the Aswan Airport.  On our way out of town, I was able to capture a fleeting picture of St. Mark's Coptic Church in Aswan, a site I much regret not being able to visit.  It is a most impressive complex in a highly visible locations and seems to speak to a vital Christian presence in a predominantly Muslim world.  I wish I had had an opportunity to learn more about it.

Saint Mark's Coptic Church, Aswan, Egypt

If there was anything remarkable about our flight to Cairo, I don't recall it.  I think there was enough time for some refreshment of some kind, and I should add that universally, the cabin staff on Egypt Air on all our encounters was courteous and efficient, something, I always notice and appreciate.

Welcome sign at Cairo Airport

Once again we were snarled in Cairo traffic.  Even though our hotel was downtown, it took well over and hour to reach it.  During the ordeal, I decided to learn the ordinal numerals in Arabic by decoding the licence plates on passing cars.  By the time we reached the hotel, I had identified them all except for the zero.  Yes, it was that boring!  However, when we checked into the Fairmont Nile City, all was forgiven, and I luxuriated along with my fellow travelers for two nights in the best run and most gracious lodging of the entire trip!

In the evening, and before a lavish dinner, we had a lecture from an amazingly concise and well prepared PhD in Islamic studies.  She gave the most coherent explanation of Islamic faith and practice I've ever encountered (and I've heard a few).  She was ready to answer any and all questions which the group had, but, in fact, she left us nothing to ask about.  It was that thorough!  So, it was off to dinner and prep for the adventures of the morrow.