Information about the Nile River
The Nile River is the longest in the world, measuring about 6,650 kilometers in length, draining an area of about 3,349,000 square kilometers, called the Father of African rivers, and rising south of the equator. It flows north through northeastern Africa before emptying into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile was utilized 5,000 years ago by ancient Egyptians for freshwater and food; the transportation was eased, and the grounds it provided were good enough for farming. In and around the famous Nile River dwell a lot of animals: frogs, hippos, turtles, over 300 types of birds, and many more.
The Nile carries 110 million tons of silt annually, most from the Abyssinian Plateau, and these amounts of silt play a great role in the basin countries, for it renews the fertility of the soil on both banks.
Places to be visited during the Nile River Cruise
Dendera Temple in Qena
Hathor was one of the most important goddesses in ancient Egypt and was widely worshipped as she was the goddess of the sky, dance, music, and motherhood. Her main cult center was the city of Dendera, and her temple is considered one of the best-preserved temples in all of ancient Egypt. The façade of this temple is also one of the most magnificent façades of ancient Egyptian temples, where six columns crowned with the heads of Hathor top the façade. The main existing Hathor temple dates from the Ptolemaic period, but there is much evidence to indicate that the site was used by King Pepi I of the Sixth Dynasty and is characterized by the astronomical scenes depicted on the ceilings.
Abydos Temple in Sohag:
Abydos Temple, or "Buried Godmother," is located in the city of Balina in Sohag Governorate and is one of the ancient cities of Upper Egypt, dating back 5,000 years BC. It is called the Buried Godmother due to the many monuments found in it under the sand. The temple is characterized by the many inscriptions in it, in addition to being one of the roofed temples.
the High dam
The High Dam has been a big help in the control of water flow and also helped lessen the effect of flooding in the Nile. This is utilized for electricity generation in Egypt. Its length is 3600 meters, the width of the base is 980 meters, the width of the crest is 40 meters, and its height is 111 meters. The body of the dam constitutes 43 million cubic meters of cement, iron, and other materials.
Hatshepsut Temple in Luxor
Queen Hatshepsut (c. 1473-1458 BC) built a magnificent temple in Deir el-Bahri, on the West Bank of Luxor, facing Karnak Temple, the main sanctuary of Amun on the East Bank. It was designed by Senenmut, who held many titles, including director of Amun's estates. The temple has three levels, each of which has a row of columns at its back, and behind the top row of columns is an open court at the top level with statues of Hatshepsut as Osiris, god of the dead.
Luxor Temple
The ancient Egyptians called the Luxor Temple "Ibit Reset," meaning "southern sanctuary," because of its location within ancient Thebes (now Luxor). The temple is located some three kilometers south of the Temple of Karnak, from which it was separated by an avenue bordered on either side by sphinxes and ram-headed sphinxes. The earliest evidence of this temple dates back to the Eighteenth Dynasty (ca. 1550 - 1295 BC).
The temples of Karnak in Luxor reflect the prowess of ancient Egyptians in the arts of construction and sculpture, with walls bearing exquisite carvings, huge statues, and great columns. The most striking and famous part is the Great Hall of Columns of the temple, which contains 134 huge columns. Some of those are up to 15 meters high, except for the five largest columns towards the center. They are to a height of 21 meters. Construction for this hall started during the reign of Amenhotep III, ca. 1390-1352 BC, while the main decoration and construction had been done by Seti I, ca. 1294-1279 BC, and Ramses II, ca. 1279-1213 BC. Standing near these columns are two huge obelisks, one built by Queen Hatshepsut, circa 1473-1458 BC, at about 30 meters high and weighing over 300 tons. Many of the cities stand on the River Nile; hence, it is a lifeline to the country as a whole.
Things to do on board the river cruise
view the quiet evening sunset free from the buzz of the crowded city, or enjoy a nice dinner with some entertainment, while seeing the city you will pass through in an entirely different aspect.
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