Source Of Wonder

The Sunday Age

Sunday August 14, 2005

ALEX MITCHELL

A trip down the Nile is a journey through time, Alex Mitchell writes.

The great River Nile is a mysterious, majestic, enchanting and spiritual wonder of the world. Since hearing about my recent Nile trip, how often has someone piped up: "You've travelled on the Nile? Lucky you! That's something I'd love to do."

Well, the simple response is to tell them to just go and do it. It's not hard. We left Sydney Airport about 10pm one day and stepped into the foyer of the Mena House Oberoi Hotel - literally in the shadow of the pyramids - at 3pm the following day.

Western fascination with ancient Egypt began with the discoveries of French archaeologists at the time of Napoleon's occupation in the 19th century, was revived by the chance finding of Tutankhamen's tomb by the British archaeologist Howard Carter in 1922 and continues to this day with the astonishing work of a group of Australian scientists from Macquarie University who last year unearthed a 5000-year-old necropolis with 20 well-preserved tombs in the poor neighbourhood of Helwan, outside Cairo.

The secrets of ancient Egypt have fired the imagination of travellers, adventurers, dreamers and people of science and culture on a grand and enduring scale.

On the second day, we caught a flight to Aswan, the southern city that is famous for being the location of the High Dam, built by Russian engineers during the rule of the founder of modern Egypt, Gamal Abdel Nasser, and completed under his successor, Anwar Sadat, in 1971.

The dam holds back the immense waters of the Nile in what is called Lake Nasser, the world's biggest man-made lake with a surface of 500 square kilometres. The dam's construction forced the dismantling of the magnificent temple of Philae into 47,000 pieces and its relocation to higher ground on an island that is a delightful 10-minute boat ride away.

In Aswan's street market, there is a brisk trade in cages full of pigeons, selling at about $6 for a succulent pair. I am advised you pluck them, stuff them with rice and herbs, barbecue them with olive oil and garlic and "they give you lots of energy".

We joined our cruise ship, the elegant Alexander the Great, which has 30 spacious and well-appointed cabins with television offering BBC and CNN, so you can stay in touch with the outside world (optional). The meals were of the highest standard to suit the tastes of our fellow guests, who included Finns, Swedes and Germans.

My favourite memory was waking up at dawn, going onto the sundeck and watching life beginning to stir along the river banks as we slid past. Fish jumping, birds striding through the reeds, farm animals stretching their limbs and throats, men walking to work, women hanging out the clothes, boatmen rowing their canoes and children slowly making their way to school.

The stately pace of the Nile sets the rhythm of the people who live along its fertile shore. They have a bountiful supply of water, grow their crops with clockwork precision and harvest fruit and vegetables all seasons.

The ancient civilisation flourished on the back of the fertility and natural energy of the river which, for trivia buffs, is the longest in the world at 6695 kilometres. No wonder it was worshipped and found its way into religious writings for thousands of years. It also appears in Shakespeare's works.

English writer Charles Caleb Cotton (1780-1832) brilliantly observed: "The study of mathematics, like the Nile, begins in minuteness but ends in magnificence."

Next stop Kom Ombo, to inspect the grandeur of the temple dedicated to the falcon-like god Horus (my personal favourite) and the crocodile god Sobek. The temple was built incorporating both gods to solve the factional warfare between local inhabitants, some of whom worshipped Horus and the others who followed Sobek. The hieroglyphics, cut into the walls 2000 years ago, are stunning in their precision and beauty.

One set of etchings shows the rudimentary calendar of the ancient Egyptians: 36 weeks a year, with 10 days making up each week, giving a grand total of 360 days. The remaining five days were allocated to religious festivals celebrating the five gods: Isis, Osiris, Seth, Nephthys and Horus.

Then to Edfu, where we disembark to stroll through the most complete temple in all of Egypt, the temple of Horus. Started in 237BC and completed in 37BC during the country's period of Greek rule, it is so well preserved because it was covered with sand for hundreds of years.

It is an awesome piece of work, with the highest pylon in Egypt, measuring 42 metres. It is a tribute to Horus, the god of protection and healing, who slayed his bad uncle Seth and rid the world "of all bad things", as our guide Emad explained with engaging sincerity.

Overnight we passed through a lock and cruised towards the magical city of Luxor, the gateway to the Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Queens, the secret graveyard of the pharaohs for hundreds of years.

One wall etching in the tomb of King Ramses III looks astonishingly like a kangaroo but we weren't able to get our minds around the possibility of a connection between the Nile and Gondwanaland, the breakaway ice age continent that included what was to become Australia.

These mountains, chosen as the resting place of the pharaohs because they are shaped like pyramids, contain 62 tombs, with only 10 open to visitors at any time.

Fifteen minutes away lies the Valley of the Queens, where about 80 tombs have been discovered, the most famous of which belonged to Queen Nefertari (not to be confused with Nefertiti), the favourite wife of Ramses II, the military ruler who achieved god-like status in the 12th century BC.

Saving the best until last, we drove back to Luxor for a visit to Karnak temple, the biggest temple of its kind in Egypt. It is a history book of its time because 20 kings over a period of more than 1500 years played a part in its construction.

Dedicated to the sun god Amun-Ra, it covers 100 hectares with a courtyard of 134 magnificent columns, carved ceilings, walls etched with stories and legends (where you can still see the original paint), prayer rooms, altars and public gathering spots in which you can feel the weight of history and past pagan festivals.

We flew back to Cairo for an overnight stop before returning home. An invitation to join a cruise boat on the Nile proved too seductive and soon we were sampling a buffet of exotic local food, wine and beer.

The trip was over too quickly. We flew home with the words of the poem Nile River, by Leigh Hunt, plucking at our souls: "It flows through old hushed Egypt and its sands/ Like some grave mighty thought threading a dream."

IF YOU GO

Gulf Air operates daily flights from Sydney to Bahrain with a short connecting flight to Cairo. Flying via Singapore and Bahrain means you have two extra duty-free shopping stops. Economy-class fares start at $1450, plus taxes, with special fares in first and business class for passengers aged 55 and over. In all three classes, Gulf Air offers a nanny to look after children, while in first class, a chef prepares meals on request. Details phone 1300 366 337 or see www.gulfairco.com

Packages: Bench International, phone 1800 221 451 or visit www.benchinternational.com.au

The writer was a guest of Gulf Air and Bench International.

© 2005 The Sunday Age

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