26 CultureShock! Egypt
The culture here is a fascinating mixture of Egyptian and
Nubian heritages. Aswan is located on the eastern shores of
the Nile about 9.6 km (6 miles) north of the First Cataract,
one of the six major rock outcroppings situated between
Aswan and Khartoum. A ‘must-see’ in Aswan is the beautiful
Nubian Museum, (Nubia means ‘gold’) completed in 1997,
which displays thousands of antiquities that would have
been lost under the waters of Lake Nasser had not a major
international effort salavaged them during the 1960s and
1970s. Speaking of the international effort to save Nubian
artifacts, the UNESCO-supported effort to move the Temple
of Ramses II and Temple of Queen Nefitari dedicated to
Hathor above the flood waters of Lake Nasser is located
280 km (174 miles) south of Aswan. During the salvage
operation which began in 1964 and continued until 1968,
the two temples were dismantled and raised over 60 metres
up the sandstone cliff where they had been built more than
3,000 years before.Ancient and Recent Past
A minimal understanding of Egypt’s ancient and recent past
is useful to the foreign resident for several reasons. First, the
major issues affecting contemporary Egyptians, and thus
anyone living in the country, have roots in her history. This
is especially true when you consider that tourism is one of
Egypt’s top economic producers. Second, it is impossible
to go down any street in Egypt without some kind of
recognition of her ancient glory as one of the five centres
in the world where civilisation developed. Third, ancient
Egypt’s monuments, temples, mosques, monasteries and
pyramids provide the basis for a substantial portion of her
current economy. For a short summary of Middle Eastern
dynamics and history, see the work by Spencer listed at the
end of this book, which served as the source of much of the
recent historical information included in this chapter.
The accomplishments of the ancients defy description.
Words like ‘awe-inspiring’ or ‘incredible’ or ‘spectacular’
cannot come close to describing the emotions running
rampant through anyone confronted with his or her first