Aswan Elephantine Island Ruins Tour

Walking across Elephantine Island, you see the ruins of the Temple of Khnum and Aswan's ancient Nilometer, while Nubian village life carries on around you. People have lived on this island continuously for over 6,000 years. The Nilometer was how officials tracked the river during flood season. Depending on the design, they read the level from a marked column, a corridor of steps descending to the water, or a deep well linked to underground channels. Those readings helped predict the harvest and plan food distribution, irrigation and taxation. In the pharaonic period, a reading that pointed to a strong harvest meant higher taxes. Low water signalled poor fertility on the floodplain, and very high water risked destructive flooding. A specific mark on the scale showed the ideal flood height for good soil.