The Elephantine Island: The Secrets Of The Ancient Egyptian Civilization
Secrets and monuments reveal the truth of the successive civilizations in Egypt, are located in the center of the Nile River, where you will be in one of the oldest human gatherings and housing complexes dating back to pre-dynastic years, meeting artifacts that will push you to the wave of the eras finding yourself in the embrace of 3500 BC, seeing the temple when it was still a simple mud-brick hut located between 3 High granite rocks. Suddenly, you discover that you are amid the trade center and walking around the strategic point throughout the Pharaonic period. It is Abu, Elephantine Island today.
Artifacts in Elephantine Island will transfer you into vital details of the ancient Egyptian civilization and its creation, standing in a place that was one of the most critical factors in establishing all the greatness you will meet through your journey in the historical eras in the cradle of the civilization. How that?
1. Naming the island.
The island was called Abu in pharaonic times, which means “e” elephant,” “I, ““” or “Elephantine Island was an important trading center for the ivory trade. It was an important port to receive the African ivory extracted from elephants. Its name turned into the worElephantineine Island” “in the Greek language, and this name is what the island bears until now. Not Just the Ivory but Elephantine Island was also a focal point on the trade routes to the south of Egypt. It was the main headquarters for all government, military, and commercial missions heading south or returning to the phpharaoh’someland; as a result of being difficult to access, it was a defensive space, and the southern area of it was even a fortified space most of the time, achieving the complete safety for the ancient Egyptian civilization.
So, visiting Elephantine Island is to be at the heart of the departure point for the military and commercial expeditions into Nubia and the south during the ancient Egyptian civilization; not just that, but the geological formation of the island – as the island grew up on a granite rock – gave great importance to Elephantine, as its black, gray and red granite stones were used in a number of construction and artistic works, during the old kingdom of the pharaonic civilization to the new kingdom. So, when wandering through the majestic temples and seeing the giant structures and the great columns all over Egypt, you have to realize that this critical customs point and trading center is credited with all of this grandeur. Elephantine Island.
2. What Will You Meet When Sailing to the Ship of Secrets, as Some Call it, or the Jewel of the South?
You will find yourself surrounded by relics dating back to the era of the “qada II” in the year (3500 BC), meet the religious temples that date to the era of Naqada III around (2300 years BC), and find yourself living with the Elephantine Island, the era of the unification the two countries by King “Nermer” “and the establishment of the unified state around 3000 BC, and how this added commercial importance and how its contribution was to establish the ancient Egyptian civilization.
3. Elephantine Island History
In this base of building the ancient Egyptian civilization, not visiting means that you will miss a link in the history of the pharaohs; you will find amazement to stand in full astonishing seeing pharaonic artisans’ workshops, witnessing where the ancient Egyptians established their majestic society and history. These workshops date back to the late Fourth Dynasty (2600 BC to 2450). Granite rocks with inscriptions will attract your attention to come to them while you are confused about what the ancient Egyptians left in these messages! You will realize that the kings of the Sixth Dynasty had left for you a memory to tell you about their visits to Elephantine Island, to walk on their footprints and live what exactly they had lived, visiting the temples there.
4. The Temples on the Elephantine Island
There are ruins of temples from different eras on the island. Senusret, I built an old temple in the Middle Kingdom. Another new temple was constructed of limestone during the Sixth Dynasty Era that is attached to the courtyard for ceremonies so that the people of the city celebrated the coming of the flood that was beginning once hearing the sound of the rushing of the waters of the flood as Elephantine Island was the first spot they could listen to the running water of the flood.
While you stand in the imagination of the atmosphere of the ancient Egyptian celebrations, you will find that there is a temple dedicated to the god Khnum in the city center; it is one of the most important landmarks in Elephantine Island that was established in 3rd Dynasty and rebuilt during the Thirtieth Dynasty before the Greco-Roman period. A granite gateway will shine in front of you to tell you its stories, finding inscriptions representing Alexander ruling Egypt; at that time, you will realize that Alexander the Great wanted to leave his prints in this majestic temple, building this gateway.
5. Center of Khnum worshipping
Elephantine Island was the main cult centre of the Khnum, worshipping the ram-headed god, the lord of the inundation, and the creator of humankind on his potter’s wheel. At the same time, there is another temple dedicated to Khnum’s wife, Heqet. It was built around 3000 BC. While you are on your tour inside the temples of Elephantine Island, you will find the ruins of a temple from the reign of Queen “Hatshepsut,” “temple of Thutmose III and Amenhotep III, to wander around this majesty, going around these religious complexes that took over more and more the island till you will arrive at the east bank, where you will be in the pharaohs residential areas in the north and the east of the Elephantine Island.
Elephantine Island by Dustinpsmith
Still, There Are Alive History in the Land Of Elephantine Island
It is not just the temples that were located on Elephantine Island; you can also live with the ancient Egyptian process of measuring the level of the Nile River with the Nilometer they had set by their hands. It is stone steps that go straight to the Nile River, and on the left and right of the stairs, various signs and numbers can be observed.
After you live this essential experience for the pharaohs that they had done annually due to the importance of the Nile River and their serious interest in its rate, you will need to go deeper into Elephantine Island; still, there are more. In the same charming style of the pharaoh’s tombs, you will find numerous outstanding rock tombs dating to the Old and Middle Kingdoms situated high on the cliff on the west bank of the Nile with vibrant inscriptions and great treasures dedicated to burying the nobles. Some records prove that there is a Jewish community that lived within Elephantine Island around the 5th century BC, so complete your steps inside Elephantine Island till arriving at the temple they used for their worshipping to meet their artifacts.
6. How Can You Arrive At the Elephantine Island?
This island is rich with archaeological treasures from the oldest ages until the Roman period. The walk is about 1500 meters in length, and the width is about 500 meters. The monuments call you from each area to tell more details about the great history, is located facing the city of Aswan from the western side in the centre of the Nile, so the lonely way to arrive at this unique island is sailing through the Nile by a boat the same as the ancient Egyptians.
That is how, from the first step to ending your fantastic tour on Elephantine Island, you will live like a pharaoh, living the history, not just seeing it.
