Aswan
| The town of Aswan in Upper Egypt marked the southern boundary of Ancient Egypt. It is situated immediately to the north of the first Nile cataract, now at the northern tip of Lake Nasser. Aswan consists of three basic components: the town, the temples, and the granite quarries of Aswan proper on the eastern bank of the Nile. |
The unfinished obelisk, still lying in the
northern quarries of Aswan, probably dates to the New Kingdom. With a length of 41.75
meters and a weight of 1168 tons, it would have been the largest monolithic obelisk ever
cut if it had not developed a fatal flaw during the initial quarrying
The Old Cataract
Hotel, the most famous hotel in Aswan, appeared in the Agatha Christie
movie, Death on the Nile. The hotel, built in December 1899, stands at the
site of the First Cataract, on an
elevated granite plateau on the western bank of
the river. The unique site offers an unfettered view of the horizon from any window in the
hotel.
© All pictures are Copyright 1998 - 2001 Grisel Gonzalez
