|
|
 |
 |
 |
| Wednesday, 15 December 2004 |
 |
|
 |
Artscope | |
| News Business Features Editorial Security Politics World Letters Sports Obituaries
|
Visit to an island where 'Adam and Eve lived' by Nimal Sedera
Travel is the best way to gain experience in life. My wife Swarna and I were the only two Sri Lankan passengers in the ship "Sennai" that took us to Aswan from Luxor, Egypt. Having spent five nights in the ship we arrived in Aswan. The city is known for the world's largest man-made dam across the river Nile. The visit to the dam was fixed for the following day and we wished to spend the few hours we had to be spent in the most useful way without wasting it by hanging around shops. Our guide Bhagg understood us properly. "Give us a memorable evening.. take us to somewhere special," I said. "I knew that you would tell this to me.. and I have already planned something special. Even I have never visited that place." the river Nile at Aswan was very broad and deep. The water was so clear and the surroundings were dry but heartwarming. More than 25 ships had anchored here and it was an exiting sight. What was unique and special to Aswan was the boat with sails. You could see hundreds of them moving around and every tourist arriving in Aswan was sure to take a trip in a sail boat. Bhagg began to explain: "It is a small island.. where Nubian people live... I have read in the books that it is a great place.. There will be a village chief who will explain to us everything. He is supposed to be a very wise man". Midway in our journey the boat drifted to the river bank due to heavy blowing. The young boatman however, brought the situation under control. In about 45 minutes we arrived in the Elephantine island. The culture of the village was different from Aswan. The structures of the houses were unique. There was greenery as the island was dotted with date trees. We walked up to the island chief's house and we were invited to the sitting room. The houses had clay walls painted in white. The sitting area looked more like an art gallery with all types of colourful Nubian handcrafts and paintings. After a few minutes a strong dark man who looked more like a healthy Sri Lankan countryman named Ahmed Mohamed Erkabh made his appearance. "He explained how the Nubian people were adversely affected by the Aswan dam and how they were divided due to the dam. There is a Nubian population of about 15 million. He said the Elephantine island had a very limited population of about 3,000 people. The 150-acre island was originally called 'Takenz', meaning 'holy land'. The wise man claimed that it was the island where Adam and Eve lived. "Nub" means gold and Nubia means the land of gold. It is from Nubia the people have come to this small island. The place had been full of elephants and later it had been called the Elephantine Island and today there isn't a single elephant or a jungle for an elephant to live in. Ahmed had been interviewed by the BBC and the CNN. We began to walk around the island with him. He walked slowly but talked loudly. He has survived a heart attack. He said, "We all Nubians are Muslims. We still speak the language of the Feros. Our alphabet is more than 4,000 years old. He added, "Now our main income is from the River Nile. Then the dates. We grow our vegetables. We get meat and milk from the goats. We are angry with the Americans for changing our culture. This little island is self-sufficient. All the houses are built with clay and date leaves are used for shelter. The fences are made of the date tree wood. Their main food is date and goat milk. They get fish from the Nile and life goes on. 'The wise man continued. We felt it was time to leave. He held my hand and said, "For your needs do not look far away. Just look under your feet. Answers to your problems and needs will just be under your feet." This is a deep philosophy coming from an experienced man. Believe it or not since that meeting for all my needs and problems I look under my feet for solutions and I have had positive results. **** Back **** |
|
News | Business | Features
| Editorial | Security
Produced by Lake House |
