Our last outing in Aswan was a river boat cruise down the Nile to a Nubian village. The Nubians are a very dark skinned people who were once wealthy landowners in the Nile Valley. More than 100,000 were forced to relocate in the mid 1950's due to the building of a dam by the Egyptian government. Unfortunately, they never regained their way of life. They now open their homes to tourists for a small fee and are known as exemplary hosts. Each brightly painted home contains a wall painting of their old lands, serving as a reminder of what they once had.
Nubian Home
Nubian living room, note the sand floors and the structure in the foreground with the screens on the top
See the square structure in the lower left hand corner of the photo above? Want to guess what's in it? It's doubtful you would - it's a baby crocodile! Our tour guide said it's gimmick to drawn in tourists, and it works.
Steve and the baby crocodile.
Note the wall painting above his head that reminds the family of what they once had.
Every Girl Needs a Dowry
Nubian families begin collecting a dowry when girls are born. This teenage girl has quite a stash waiting for her above the cabinet.
Nubian ladies who asked for a photo, then demanded money. I should have known better!
street scenes
