Nubian civilization and its most important landmarks

Nubia is one of the most important historical regions, as it is located in Aswan Governorate, and extends from southern Egypt to the south of the Nile River, it witnessed one of the most important ancient civilizations, the Karma civilization, as it lasted for more than 2500 years BC until King Thutmose I invaded it 1500 years ago, they used to call it Kush.

Nubians and tourism  

Nubia is known as the Land of Gold because of its remarkable positive impact on tourism in Egypt, as it attracts tourists from all parts of the earth because of its special character, such as the physical characteristics of its people, their clothes, their distinctive characteristics and behaviors, and their urban character. Nubia includes seven villages, namely “Ballana, Abu Simbel, Aniba, kharit, Almalky, Qorta and El-Dakka”, it is preferable to visit these villages in the winter, due to their geographical location, which leads to a rise in temperature in other seasons.

Nubian customs and traditions            

• One of the most famous customs of the Nubians is keeping crocodiles as pets in homes, inherited habit to attract tourists, there are basins for breeding crocodiles inside their homes, they are fully aware of how to take care of crocodiles and provide food for them, the crocodiles feed on fish. The Nubians also mummify these crocodiles after their death by emptying the crocodile’s guts after opening its stomach and then stitching up the wound to leave it for a period of about a week in salt, to be used after that as a decoration in homes, the Nubians believe that it is a symbol of expelling evil spirits from homes.
• Weddings in Nuba begin in the morning, they gather, prepare food, and distribute gifts in the street as an expression of joy. The groom passes through the seven existing villages to invite his family and friends from the surrounding villages to attend his wedding, family and friends gather on the morning of the wedding day to start the wedding ceremony in their own way.
• Nubians use all parts of the palm tree in various industries such as making cages, beds and tables, as they are famous for their manufacture of these things that tourists like to keep as souvenirs.
• The Nubians are distinguished by their special costumes, their generosity in hosting tourists in their homes, drawing henna, their special way of celebrating and spreading joy, and their remarkable songs.
• They are also known for their distinctive traditional food, such as Alsakhinuh Alkadaba, Nubian beef tagine, and Nubian Mulukhiyah.
• The Nubians celebrate the Prophet’s birthday for three months after the Prophet’s birthday, because all the villages celebrate in a row, and the people of the villages gather in this village, it is one of the largest gatherings held in Nubia.

 The most important landmarks of Nubia 

There are many places that you can visit in Nubia, the most important of which are:

• El Nabatat Island: It is one of the oldest botanical gardens in the whole world, where there are tropical and semi-tropical plants, palms, trees and flowers, in addition to seven rare plants in the world, which were formed naturally from the sedimentation of Nile silt in the middle of the water.
• The west Suhail Nubian Village: It is famous for its residents, as they keep crocodiles as pets inside their homes, which arouses the curiosity of tourists, who come from all countries of the world to discover what the people of this city do, it is located on a sandy slope west of the Nile and includes many picturesque views that you can enjoy.
• Philae island and temple: One of the most important places where sound and light shows are held, it contains the remains of the Philae Temple, which were collected after the Philae Island was flooded and transferred to the temple by UNESCO for preservation.
• Heissa Island: It is one of the oldest Nuba islands and was named after the Pharaonic king Hiss, and is distinguished by preserving the Nubian heritage and holding singing and dancing parties.
• Nubian Museum: It was established by UNESCO to display the Nubian antiquities and to preserve the Nubian heritage, traditions and language, which is famous for not being inherited by writing, but by hearing.
• Berber Beach: It is the purest shore of the Nile, as it is characterized by the purity of sand and water, where you can enjoy a remarkable Nile cruise, the stunning scenery and sunrise.
• Nile Museum: it includes statues of Hapi (Nile god) in different colors, the different colors symbolize the resources in the land of Nubia, such as gold, petroleum, granite, golden sand, copper and marble.
• Abu Simbel Temple: Ramesses the Great was famous for his marriage to a Nubian girl, Queen Nefertari, who were very beautiful, so he built a temple for her next to his at Abu Simbel, which also includes the house of worship of Isis and the Temple of Ramses II.