This part two of my Day one Aswan Chronicle , you can read my first part here. Already I visit so many places on Day one and took 4 GB of photos and videos , so you can imagine how I am trying to organize and edit everything properly before uploading and publishing it.
Very small number of foreign tourists in the city despite it is a golden season for Aswan now , the city is surviving on the local tourism. The Esna lock strike was devastating to the industry according to our tour guide as the city depends on the Nile Cruises.He also told us that thousands of irrigation workers and employees are threatening to cut again the channel by the end of the month if their main demand is not met : To be fully appointed. They suspended their strike after the massacre of Port Said.
Some tour guides do not like the revolution as it harmed their business.
The beautiful island of Philae is more than great as you will see in the photos. I am speechless after visiting it. I took over 100 photos there an I think you should bookmark this set in order to enjoy it. Please browse till the end as I spent hours uploading it !!
I knew for the first time that the early radical Christians destroyed many of the images featuring ancient Egyptian gods including a beautiful depiction for Isis breastfeeding Horus.
It is at the Holy of Holies and the head of Isis was removed by the radical Christians as they felt there was a resemblance between it and between the Virgin Mary and Baby Jesus.
Before heading to the Holy of Holies ,there was this simple old Upper Egyptian Man with that traditional wear and gray mustache listening with us to the explanation and description of the Holy of Holies , then he headed with us and I found him telling his companion "this is the altar" and "here is the picture of that lady whom they removed her head".
That old man asked our tour before leaving from what books he knew this stuff and he told him the books of Dr.Selim Hassan."The Godfather of Egyptian Egyptologists"
It gives me the creep on what the radicals can do and it also gives me an idea on how the early Muslims are not like the so-called modern Salafists who want to cover the ancient Egyptian statues with wax !!
Anyhow to be honest I saw a group of Salafist men visiting the temple in my way out. “It turns out the MB is offering trips for Luxor and Aswan to promote local tourism from what I understood !!”
First time to see all these French inscriptions in the 19th century ,disgusting just like Ahmed loves Mona Shit inscription .
I think I should have stayed more time in that amazing temple , my first ancient Egyptian temple in amazing Aswan.
I wish that I was able to take more photos for that small temple besides it.
Of course one of the important lessons I learned in Philae is that the rulers of this country always use religion to win the heart and mind of the Egyptian people since ancient Egypt. The Ptolemaic dynasty used religion to come close to the Egyptian people so all the kings and queens of ancient Egypt.
This shows you how religion and politics are mingled in Egypt and how the religion is playing an essential role in this nation.
