Aswan Trip Overview
Before the city of Aswan was there, Elephantine Island was the site of a pharaonic era trading town called Swenet that used the island and the turbulent waters of the First Cataract as protection from attack.
Additional Info
Duration: 5 hours
Starts: Aswan, Egypt
Trip Category: Cultural & Theme Tours >> Cultural Tours
Explore Aswan Promoted Experiences
What to Expect When Visiting Aswan, Nile River Valley, Egypt
Before the city of Aswan was there, Elephantine Island was the site of a pharaonic era trading town called Swenet that used the island and the turbulent waters of the First Cataract as protection from attack.
Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: Elephantine Island, Across the Nile from Aswan Two parts to this Island, Aswan Egypt
According to ancient Egyptian religion, Elephantine was the dwelling place of Khnum, the ram-headed god of the cataracts, who guarded and controlled the waters of the Nile from caves beneath the island. He was worshipped here as part of a late triad of Egyptian deities. This “Elephantine Triad” included Satis and Anuket. Satis was worshipped from very early times as a war goddess and protector of this strategic region of Egypt. When seen as a fertility goddess, she personified the bountiful annual flooding of the Nile, which was identified as her daughter, Anuket. The cult of Satis originated in the ancient city of Aswan. Later, when the triad was formed, Khnum became identified as her consort and, thereby, was thought of as the father of Anuket. His role in myths changed later and another deity was assigned his duties with the river. At that time his role as a potter enabled him to be assigned a duty in the creation of human bodies.
