Friday, March 11, 2011

Egyptian Reflections

The Nile River has been the source of life for Egyptians since ancient times. Until the Aswan Dam was built in the nineteen-sixties, only four per cent of Egypt was cultivated. More of the land has since been reclaimed, but now that same dam holds back the rich silt that fed the land for centuries, and farmers must use fertilizers they can ill afford to buy

A great many of the country’s inhabitants live and work on the narrow strip of fertile land on either side of this river that flows four thousand miles from its source in East Africa to empty into the Mediterranean Sea.


For these people, life is hard, with few modern amenities, or machines to assist in cultivation. To see how tightly the vast desert presses up against the river, is to understand the fragile nature of their simple lives, carved out from the riverbanks, one small plot at a time.
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Traveling From Aswan to Cairo on the Nile becomes a trip back in time. Life seems little changed from years past. Graceful feluccas glide beside simple fishing boats; children frolic at water’s edge as children always will, and the family animals are at home drinking deeply of these life-giving waters.



It is easy, here, to imagine oneself at another point in time….

Egypt is renowned worldwide for its many ancient monuments, but what impressed me most about the country was the tenacity and ingenuity of its hardy inhabitants who have made their home in this stark and often inhospitable land. I offer them my praise and my admiration…
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I'm linking this post to the wonderful Weekend Reflections meme, hosted admirably by James at Newton Daily Photo. To see reflections from around the world, just click on the link below...


20 comments:

James said...

What an amazing place and nice reflections too!

Sylvia K said...

Marvelous reflections and Egypt is one place I've always wanted to visit. Love your photos! Next best thing to being there! Hope you have a lovely weekend!

Sylvia

Leontien said...

nice reflections and i really liked your pictures too!

Thanks so much for sharing
Leontien

Sherry Blue Sky said...

Wonderful glimpse of life along the Nile. As you say, it looks as it must have looked for centuries. Lovely narrative as well.

Kim, USA said...

Great photos and marvelous reflection. Your words made me think how we are fortunate enough to have everything we want and need. And still people whined because they don't have much. Looking at the photos I myself can't think how I am going to live in this situation. And like you I do praise and I admire them. Happy weekend!
WR-Sunset

Regina said...

Wow awesome captures and reflections!
Thank you for sharing.

R e g i n a

Kay L. Davies said...

Oh, Lynette, what a wonderful journey through time. Your photos are exquisite.
I remember when the Aswan dam was built. My own journey through time, right here in my head. LOL
-- K

Kay, Alberta, Canada
An Unfittie's Guide to Adventurous Travel

Deborah said...

Wonderful pictures!

Rajlakshmi said...

woww amazing captures... I haven't seen much photographs from this region, looks beautiful..
thanks for sharing.

Weekend Reflection

cieldequimper said...

It is fascinating as can be. And on the move to hopefully something better.

Penelope Notes said...

Time mingles so beautifully in your Egypt reflections, Lynette! Looking into the Nile must seem like peering into a crystal ball where past, present and the unknowable future flow down the river together.

adrielleroyale said...

What a great post. I am always amazed and humbled to see people roughing it out without any of what we would call necessities. On one hand, you want to give them these things and more but on the other hand, many seem happy to live just as they are and that modern innovation is actually the problem NS what makes the hard part of their life harder... Anyway, this is another great combo of pictures and words :)

Lew said...

Indeed, reflections of life long ago in these images! And how some still live life as it was when the Pharaohs ruled. Beautiful to visit but hard to live there.

'Tsuki said...

What I find extraordinary about your picture is that my favourite country looks just like I left it in 1986 (I lived in Maadi, near Cairo three years)... It can be so cliché, but so eternal at the same time... Thank you so much for sharing those pictures ; they bring so many memories to me...

EG CameraGirl said...

Great reflections of the past in your words and photos.

Anonymous said...

Wonderful post, photos and reflections.

Marvin said...

Your photos are reflections in so many different ways. I've often heard about the strip of land along the Nile that can be cultivated. Until seeing your photos, I never realized how narrow that strip of cultivatable land actually is.

Katy Cameron said...

Oh, that looks like a wonderful adventure, thanks for sharing all the photies

Pat Tillett said...

What a great photo tour!
I really like your blog and I think I'm gonna tag along!

Pat said...

Thanks for the virtual tour of the Nile region of Egypt, Lynette. Many of the photos do look like a step back in time. Beautiful.