His dark face, covered in tiny wrinkles, says a lot about Amm Dahab, who wears a white galabiya and a'ma (turban). He is a great man, anxious to preserve the traditions and culture of his city, Nubia, a place governed by tribal law. Dahab Kobarah, 76, one of Nubia's most famous sons, has a lot to say about the Nubian people and how they love their land and their country, Egypt. Amm Dahab was chosen to play an important role in the 2010 Characters of Egypt Festival, held in Wadi Al-Gamal, a protectorate about 30 miles south of Marsa Allam. He has witnessed firsthand how the Nubian people have suffered since being forced to emigrate from their lands on the banks of the Nile, which were permanently submerged in the early 1960s, when the Aswan High Dam was constructed. “My uncles came from Siwa in 1904, where they were very famous,” Amm Dahab told the Egyptian Mail. He himself was born in Abu Simbel, one of Egypt's most impressive tourist attractions. “The way the sun falls perpendicularly on the face of Ramsis on 22nd October and then on his birthday on 22nd February every year, shows just how wonderful Egyptian architects have always been,” Kobarah said as he stood outside his tent during the festival, at which Nubians met with visitors from Cairo and other tribes from Siwa, Farafra, Bashariya and Ababada, and North Sinai and South Sinai, as well as foreigners. The emigration of the Nubian people from their land has cost them dear. “In 1920, long before the High Dam, we owned about 1 million date trees which all disappeared nearly half a century ago,” he said sadly. “The Government tried to replant about 100,000 of the trees in our new home, but the experiment failed. “We now have to buy dates from other countries,” Amm Dahab explained, adding that what also annoyed him was that, when the Nubians were relocated to New Nubia, the Government didn't include the Nubians who were from the original Nubia, but who weren't staying there. “When these people returned home, they tried to get their rights from the Egyptian Government but it was useless.” When they moved to New Nubia, located in the south, extending from southern Aswan to Adendan, the Egyptian Nubians began to develop their cities and educate their children, preserving their traditions and culture. Although there were rumours that Nubians want to establish a separate entity apart from Egypt, Amm Dahab denied this. “We considered ourselves the original Egyptians; when Egypt won the 1973 War (over Israel), we were the happiest Egyptians of all. Prior to that, during the naksa (setback), our women sold their gold to help the soldiers who'd suffered in the 1967 War.” Amm Dahab hopes that the Nubian language will be preserved. He's afraid it will decline, although it has been documented in an encyclopaedia in Germany. “I love the Nubian language. In fact, the Egyptian soldiers used the Nubian language among themselves in the October 1973 War,” he recalls. The Nubians are believed to be the first human race on earth, and most of their customs and traditions were adopted by the ancient Egyptians. Nubians have always been renowned for their honesty. They are artists by nature and their lucky number is seven. For them, the number nine is also sacred. They want to spend their whole lives beside the Nile. According to Nubian marriage traditions, the groom has to give several gifts to his wife and her family, including brightly coloured silk garments and jewels for the bride, her mother and her sisters. These presents are carried to them on a camel. During the wedding ceremony the groom carries a sword and a whip. A Nubian often marries one of his or her cousins. A Nubian wedding ceremony often lasts for 40 days, with a long series of rituals. The social status of a Nubian is judged by the amount of land and the number of waterwheels he owns, as well as his noble descent. A Nubian takes pride in saying his prayers, which is evidence that he is not a charlatan or a slave. A Nubian who doesn't perform his prayers is shamed in public disdain and then banished from the tribe. Nubian women normally wear a lot of jewellery, all over their bodies. They normally wear two necklaces, accompanied by jewellery, bearing the name of Allah. On the forehead, a Nubian woman wears an item of jewellery with a verse from Islam's holy book the Qur'an in it. She also wears a large pair of earrings dangling from the top part of both ears, a second pair from the lower part and a third in between. The ankle is adorned with a silver anklet and her fingers with silver rings. A Nubian woman also adorns herself with tattoos, normally shaped like a mole on the cheek, a crescent on the forehead or a line drawn from the lip down to the chin or by colouring the nether lip. The Nubian woman is noted for her love of henna and perfume.
