Travellers visiting Aswan may now enjoy a new addition to their journey by visiting the Nubian villages located at the west bank of the River Nile, Giovanna Montalbetti and photographer Sherif Sonbol take us there Throughout history, Nubians have managed to keep their traditions and lifestyles relatively uninflected by outside influences, and yet they have still interacted with different cultures surrounding theirs. Although many Nubian villages had to be resettled elsewhere due to the impending need to build both the Aswan and High Dams, some fortunate settlements have stayed put in their original locations. Such is the case in the area west of Sihail. Due to its privileged location, for many years investors tried unsuccessfully to purchase these lands, in a bid to build hotels that would have no doubt become renowned because of the impressive views they would have offered, the breathtaking sunrises guests might have witnessed as the Nile spread before them. Still the Nubians refused to sell. One may wonder at first what changes have caused the Nubians -- traditionally cautious of foreigners -- to now begin to more warmly welcome tourists on their lands. Tourists arrive by boat to the northern shores of the Nubian villages, where parties of camels await in order to provide visitors the chance to form a caravan that takes them through village alleys. They are welcomed into local homes in order to savour a cup of tea, and led to the huts that form the bazaar, where they can buy handmade items such as carved or inlaid walking sticks adorned in a variety of motifs, wooden or leather masks, daggers, stone and beaded jewellery, or traditional pottery. Some of these items are handmade right there in the bazaar, as is the case of the cotton shawls woven in one of the huts. Others, like the wooden masks, arrive every Tuesday by boat from Sudan. Some items definitely have an ethnic taste, such as the amulets or the gazelle-headed bows and arrows. Tourists may find more traditional souvenirs, such as T-shirts or even belly-dance scarves, evidencing the silent struggle Nubians are facing between their traditions and the need to adapt to the demands of the world around them. Although appearances might lead one to wonder whether Sihail Nubians have finally succumbed to the temptation of selling out, this is not so. It is true they are welcoming foreigners and that two beautiful hotels have opened up in the village, but this is because the investors that once tried to buy the land out have reached an agreement with the villagers that has enabled them to create a common project. The investors have the right to use the land and to construct hotels, but the land remains in possession of its original owners. It should also be mentioned this present agreement was not easily reached, for local entrepreneurs had to defend their project against the more conservative members of their community. Both the Nubian Palace and the Ana Kato (meaning "my house" in one of the Nubian languages) are beautiful small hotels, with around five rooms each. The idea behind the hotels is that they are designed to allow guests to get an even better taste of the Nubian lifestyle. The architecture, decoration and room distribution is that of traditional Nubian houses, with all their local charm, slightly adapted to provide the guests with the basic commodities of so-called modern life. The rooms are intimate and cosy. Be warned, meanwhile, that you will not find a TV in either hotel, but we are ready to bet that you will not miss television entertainment at all once you have experienced the peace of the environment and the beauty of the landscape. It is precisely this kind of beauty which nurtures the inner peace that the Nubian people enjoy. You can also bathe in the Nile waters. The Nubian Palace has its own private little beach, which is reached by a flight of stairs, or you can take a ride along the Nile in a felucca -- both hotels have their own. You will also have the chance to taste Nubian culinary delicacies, some of which might turn to be surprising even for Egyptian palates such as the egg molokhiya. Dependent as Nubian culture is on the River Nile, guests will find fish and duck on the menu. For the more daring travellers visiting during the migration season, there is even the chance to sample swallows, which Nubians hold as a supreme delicacy, superior to duck. In the early mornings during the swallow season, one can watch Nubian men skilfully working in pairs to hunt down the birds with no more help than that of some stones and a white cloth. All in all, there is a quiet battle that persists among the Nubians, between keeping traditions alive and allowing the ways of the modern world to take over. Only time will tell how this struggle ends, and we will have to wait to see how the Nubians manage to keep their lifestyle and philosophy untainted. Meanwhile, it is worth congratulating them on their resilience against pressures to give up on their patrimony.
