Travel: Nile Cruise

Adelaide Now (Jessica Hurt)

Aswan was originally known as Swenet, a frontier town of ancient Egypt. Its quarries were celebrated for their stone, especially the granitic rock called syenite. Their stone was used in the colossal statues, obelisks and shrines which are found around Aswan and throughout Egypt today – including the pyramids. You can still see traces left by quarrymen in the area about 3000 years ago. Aswan also was known as a military station.

Like most Egyptian towns, Aswan life centres around the bustling bazaar. We arrive just before dinner, when the market comes to life. There are more locals here than tourists. The women, covered head-to-toe, come to buy fruit and vegetables and choose from woven baskets with a huge selection of spices, from chilli to indigo. Stall owners cry out to the passing trade – enticing patrons with their crafty wares.

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