Nilometer, Aswan is one of the chief Aswan tourist attractions of the Elephantine Island. You must catch a glimpse of the Nilometer, Aswan on exotic tours around the Elephantine Island in Aswan.
The Elephantine Island is home to two nilometers. The two nilometers vary in their arrangements. The nilometer in Khnum is in the form of a square basin, while Satet's nilometer is more traditional in the shape of a staircase descending towards the river, with measuring holes in its walls.
According to the ancient belief, a nilometer was used for measuring the water level of the Nile. Depending on the season, predictions to the water levels for the next season could be made. Certain steps were taken in case the danger of drought was sensed. These predictions also helped in the convenient calculations for taxes on the local farmer.
Nilometer is the name given to one of several devices that are different in design but that all serve the same function: measuring water levels in the River Nile and thus allowing the keeping of comparative historic records.
Heavy rainfall raised the water level flowing into the Nile from its tributaries during summer. Between the months of June and September, the reaches of the Nile running through Egypt would overflow and inundate the adjacent flood plain.. The inundation was one of the three seasons according to which the Ancient Egyptians divided their years.
The simplest Nilometer, Aswan is a vertical column submerged in the waters of the river, with punctuated breaks showing the depth of the water. A flight of stairs
leading down into the water, with holes along the walls in the Elephantine Island in Aswan is the widely known Nilometer in Egypt.
The location of the Nilometer, Aswan in the Elephantine Island was particularly significant, owing to the fact that over the greatest part of Egyptian history, Elephantine was Egypt's southern border and was the first place where the onset of the annual flood was noticed.
The nilometer wells were mostly located within the temples, where only the priests and rulers were allowed to enter. While the origins of the Nilometer, Aswan and other nilometers in Egypt can be traced back to the Pharaonic times, they were used even during the later civilizations in Egypt.
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| Aswan Tourist Attractions |
Aswan Museum
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Elephantine Island, Aswan |
Felucca Trip, Aswan
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Historical Reliefs, Aswan |
Kitchener’s Island, Aswan
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Lake Nasser, Aswan |
Mausoleum of the Aga Khan, Aswan
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Monastery of St. Simeon, Aswan |
Nilometer, Aswan
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Rock Temple - Vestibule, Aswan |
Rock Tombs, Aswan
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Temple of Kalabsha, Aswan |
Unfinished Obelisk, Aswan
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View of the Cataract Area, Aswan |
Views of the First Cataract, Aswan
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