Travel: A cruise on Lake Nasser

The Observer (Daniel Hartmann)

Having been put off the idea of a Nile cruise by traffic jams of cruise ships and crowded tourist sites, the writer opted for a cruise to see the monuments salvaged from the rising waters of Lake Nasser during the rescue operations of the 1960s.

Like elsewhere in Egypt, the desert climate has done a remarkable job of preserving the ancient structures. At the temple of Wadi el Seboua, an avenue of sphinxes lines the entryway, their faces still smiling serenely at visitors more than three millennia after they were carved. The Amada temple of Tuthmosis III, built 3,400 years ago, is the oldest temple in southern Egypt, while the Temple of Kalabsha, built by the Roman emperor Augustus circa 30 B.C. is a relative newcomer. Both are almost intact, boasting their original pillars, hieroglyphic carvings and bas-reliefs. Some structures, such as The Tomb of Penout (a Nubian viceroy) still retain impressive paintings -- the colors almost as bright as when they were painted.

We lounged about in our air-conditioned cabin or waded in the small pool on the sun deck. In the evenings we watched the rocky, desert landscape slip past the boat. And between fantastic onboard meals, we visited temples that were already 1,000 years old when Jesus was born.

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