Photo Gallery

From ancient times to the present day, the Nile and its canals have remained the sole means of transportation in Egypt, serving both the humblest of boats and the magnificent royal vessels. Depictions of sailboats and rowboats were ubiquitous in Egyptian art. Indeed, the sun god and his retinue used boats to traverse the heavens and reach the afterlife. Before the construction of the Suez Canal, spices were transported by ship from India across the Red Sea to Egypt. There, they were loaded onto camels, driven down to the Nile Valley, and then reloaded onto ships. Together with other goods, they were eventually transported to the shores of the Mediterranean. Today, despite competition from railroads, trucks, and airplanes, goods are still transported by boats traveling down the Nile. The photo shows a felucca, a small, long, light, and narrow sailboat with two masts leaning forward. The sail, which has holes and is patched, still billows in the wind and allows the boat to follow the river’s course. – 1984