19 



Colossi of Memnon stand in a cultivated tield watered In' wells fur- 

 nished w^ith sakiyehs. 



From Luxor to Assuan the valle}' contains but little of interest. 

 The famous quarries where the Silsileh hills reach the water's edge on 

 either side give one an idea of the immense quantity of stone which 

 has been taken out for all kinds of masonrv work. A narrow fringe 

 of palm trees lines the banks of the river in many places, and the area 

 of the agricultural land is limited on either side. 



Assuan. h'ing on the right bank of the river just below the first 

 cataract, is tVie Mecca of the traveler in Upper Egypt. The Ele- 

 phantine Island, lying opposite the town, in the river; the rough, ster- 

 ile deserts on either side; the granite points on land, and rocky islands 

 in the rapid currents of the cataract each add to the interesting fea- 

 tures in the vicinity of the town. The granite quarries in the desert 

 to the east and north of Assuan show how that material was taken out 

 in the early days of Egypt, and at the head of the cataract only 4 

 miles up the river one can see how through modern engineering appli- 

 ances the same material is now handled. In less than four years the 

 engineers of the Egyptian Government have built a dam containing 

 1,000,000 cubic yards of granite masonry. Machinery has supplanted 

 slave labor; and where thousands of men were formerly required to 

 transport large volumes of stone from one place to another the task is 

 now easily accomplished b}' employing great derricks, steam engines, 

 and improved quarry tools. 



By the river it is but 1 miles from Assuan to the head of the cata- 

 ract, where the great dam has been erected. A footpath follows the 

 Nile, another passes through the desert in a direct line, while the rail- 

 road runs along a former channel of the river farther to the east. 

 The dam is seen first if one goes by either footpath, while if the train 

 is taken the island of Philae is in view as soon as the traveler alights 

 at Chellal. Xo one can forget the first glimpse of this island and the 

 temples with which its surface is covered. All other islands in the 

 vicinity of Philae are high and rock}-, while this particular one is flat 

 and well adapted for the purpose to which it has been dedicated. 

 Two miles downstream is the dam. 



The engineers in charge of the construction of the dam were willing 

 and anxious to explain the construction work in progress and make 

 dear the function of the reservoir when completed. Some of the 

 engineers had been at Assuan from the day the first work conunenced. 

 They enjoyed an ideal climate during the winter, but suffered much 

 from the continuous heat of the summer. The thermometer ranoes 

 above 100"- F. in the shade between the early spring and late fall 

 months. It often reaches 120^ and at times 130^ during the summer. 

 But little relief is afforded at night, as the granite rocks give off' the 

 heat they have absorbed during the day. 



