Elephantine Island is the largest of the islands in the Nile near Aswan. The
island is lush and green and an interesting place to visit. Sights to see
there include the Aswan
Museum, the Temple of Khnum, Nubian villages and a Nilometer. A Nilometer
was a gauge that measured the peak of the annual Nile flood. By measuring
the height of the flood waters, the ancient Egyptians could determine which
crops would most likely thrive and also predict the
bounty of the coming year's harvest. Tax rates were set accordingly.
The Nilometer on Elephantine Island is was one
of the earliest known Nilometers.
Elephantine Island is accessible by a couple of public ferries. It can also
be reached by felucca.
The views around Aswan are quite nice. Elephantine
Island lies roughly midway between Aswan and the west bank of the Nile. This
is a view from Elephantine of the west bank and the mausoleum of Aga Khan.
Before the Aswan dams were built, navigation of the Nile at Aswan was
considered very dangerous. There are many outcroppings of rock - cataracts -
scattered throughout the Nile at Aswan. Now, with the flow of the Nile
controlled by the dams, these cataracts only add to the beauty of the area.
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On the west bank of the Nile, just north of Elephantine Island, lies the
tombs of the Nobles.
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This is a "Nilometer". In ancient times, the vertical markings alongside
the stairway were used to measure the height of the crest of the Nile
flooding. The pharoahs used this information to predict the bounty of the
crops and set the tax rates accordingly. If the crest of the Nile flood was
high, they anticipated more irrigation from Nile flooding and higher crop
production. Clever, heh?
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