Felucca Sail

For over four millenium, the River Nile has seen many types of vessel sail along her spine from Cairo to Aswan and back again.

In ancient times majestic Pharoahs and their Queens, would sail to their Temples via large wooden craft, Anthony and Cleopatra amongst them. Hapi, the God of the River Nile, was believed to sail with the Pharoahs and bring the annual inundation. Which deposited rich silt on it's banks, allowing the Egyptians to grow crops on the banks.

Goods were transported along the length of the Nile, making it a famous trade route, even today it is used to carry heavy items between cities.

Amelia Edwards a writer and Egyptologist wrote her famous novel, A Thousand Miles up the Nile. Travellers and explorers, such as Howard Carter, Belzoni, Ibn Battuta and many others included.

In the late 1800's it became a tourism attraction and the Dahabeyah arrived with it's huge sails and large wooden decks.

Fishing boats, paddle steamers, rowing boats, feluccas and more recent, motorboats, cruise ships, speed boats and even a jet ski! The river is alive and maintains life for us here.

This is a typical daily scene at the end of my street. The sailors bring their boats out of the water, to repair and repaint, when they have to renew their licences. The masts are laid out along the edge of the road and painted whilst the lads work on the boats at the edge of the river. It provides a great place for children to dive from!