Location:

It is considered the longest river in the world, as it flows for 6690 km, starting from Tanganicka Lake to the Mediterranean Sea . On its journey, it passes through nine different countries; namely Tanzania, Kenya, Zaire, Burundi, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Uganda, the Sudan and Egypt . Along its way it encounters many rocky waterfalls, makes sudden deep drops, then flows along rapidly up and down to reach Egypt's land quietly and safely.

Cruises & Felucca:

Nowadays, you can enjoy the River NileTrips Either By Nile Cruise, or by Felucca and with both you can find long & short trips.

Long trips with 5 stars deluxe Nile Cruises are 03, 04, 06 and 07 Nights between Luxor and Aswan , or vice versa, it is including visits to the sights between Luxor and Aswan.

Moreover, you can find long trips on the River Nile through a Felucca safari too which sailing from Aswan to Kom Ombo and Edfu for 02 - 03 and 04 nights including visits to the sightseeing tours between these cities.

However, you can enjoy Short trips either with a Felucca for 01 or 02 hours sailing in Cairo or a Dinner Cruise on the River Nile, in Cairo too, for 02 hours as you can enjoy sailing with Belly Dancer and folklore show.

You can also find short Felucca Trips in Aswan around Elephantine island & Aghakhan and in Luxor you can enjoy a Felucca ride on the Rive Nile too for 01 or 02 Hours or more.

Memphis Tours offers a wide variety of Nile cruises Trips to Luxor and Aswan, as well as Dinner Cruises in Cairo.

Explanation :

The Egyptian civilization was one of the most civilizations which appeared along the history, this civilization considered as a leader for guiding the human being to the right way to reach the highest degree of development. Some western historian called the Egyptian civilization "Mother of Civilization" and this of course due to the existence of the great Nile. There were several & different festival in ancient Egypt. Some of these festivals were celebrated and took place in the whole country, others in special town, and also there were annual, religious, and formal festival. As Herodoutus say "Egypt is the Gift of the Nile".

So let's now talk about our country with its great civilization and great Nile.

The Nile is one of the main symbols in Egypt; this is because of its fertility mud, which showed in the greenish area, between the two yellowish desert environments. One of its important features is its curves and its running water. For sure there are frequent questions you may ask like did the Nile exist through the History? And was it in the same shape or there were geological changes? So let's start with what the Nile was through the Egyptian history?

Ancient Egyptian:

Many of the monuments and scenes, which were found on the tombs and temples, proved that the Egyptian didn't neglect the river Nile. They drew the Nile with its boats, ships, marches, fishes and animals. The ritual life of ancient Egypt proved that they studied all the circumstances of the Nile in excellent ways and from all its sides. So, they knew the annual calendar which they divided into 365 days, they also knew the four seasons of the year and the flooded season. If the Nile reached to 12 Cubed, this means the low of corn so there will be poverty, if the Nile reached to 14 cubed this mean the food will be enough, but if the Nile reached to 16 cubed, there will be many food for all people and the storage will be full to be used in the future, but if it increased more than 16 cubed, they had to take care.

However, the ancient Egyptian didn't know from where the Nile came. There is some document showed that they have done some trips to the south, behind Nubian, and they have reached that the Nile has come from Khartoum.

The ancient Egyptian believed in many gods, because the importance of the Nile they had done a god for the Nile and they called it "Hapi". This god took the shape of a man with full body. He seems to have the Nile feature and its richness. He also has a full stoma like pregnant and big chests like the chest of the woman, as there is water coming out of it like the milk which the mother feed her child, this shows the givens and goodness. The ancient Egyptian mixed between the male and female character as they considered "Hapy" as a symbol of fertility and power which gives life and sent water and food.

There is some myth which says that the Nile is the tears of goddess Isis on her lovely husband god Osiris cause of his murder. There is another story which Herodutes said on the tongue of a mad employee say that" The Nile came from a source which came from elephantine Island in Aswan , and it has two ways, one of it go towards the north of upper Egypt, and the other one to the north to Nubian but we knew that the Nile run from south to north in Nubian, so it isn't true.

The methods of the celebration of the Nilefeast in ancient Egypt:

The ancient Egyptian people used to celebrate the Nile feast every year. There were two types of celebration, the principle formal celebration and the popular formal celebration. The king used to attended himself with his family, priests, Nobels, his followers and all people" masses" and it took place in " Selsela mountain between Luxor & Aswan .

There were found hundred of papyrus and stela which showed the circumstances of the Nile, they mentioned many kings while performing the celebration of the Nile and said poetry and songs like King Ramsess II , III , Merenptah and many others . This shows that the Kings were celebrating the festival by themselves by throwing a Papyrus letter in which some prays and favors for the great Nile with beautiful words were written, which says:

Peace for you Hapy!!!!....

who get out from this land and come to hung Egypt!!!..

You !! who run in the darkness to our Lover..
You are the leader of fish as you reach the cataract ..

with you birds didn't fall on the ground..

you are the corn and wine maker and the cup temple for the prayers.

. you !! if you didn't come on your time …

Many people fall in sadness ….

And if your water decrease from the sky .. People died … animal died too ..

and all people older or smaller fall in sadness

Greek – Roman period:

The Greece named the upper part of the river Nile, they gave this name because it is like the four letter in their Alphabet which is "Al Dal" in Arabic letter and "D" in English letter. The scientific meaning is a mud place which consists in the pour point of the Nile, when the Nile used to fill in large quantity of mud in it.

In this period, there were many searches to know where the Nile ends. So after 66 AD a roman Emperor sent two of his soldiers to follow the river Nile but their tries ended in the dames' area. Also in the year 150 A.D, there were found ancient world plan drew in it the river Nile from its pour point until the far south. However, the recent studies provide that there were a great meeting from 54 millions years. The Blue Nile which decent from the Habasha Hills to Sudan met with the White Nile which is coming from seas area in the center of Africa, from that time the Nile pushed to the north to pass through the desert sand to divide it into the Eastern desert and Western desert , which let its ground to be full of Kindness.

The Nile Feast in the Ancient Egyptian and in the Greece Roman period:

The Nilefeast is considered the oldest feast in Egypt and ever in the world. The Greece Romans celebrated the feast with the Egyptian as they have their own feasts and celebrations.

The Nile Feast in the Islamic period:

Before the Fatimid Period : People considered that every day the river rise and increase is a feast for them, but after that they forbidden it.

In the Fatimide Period : they used to hide the increase of the Nile until it reached 16 cubed as the Khaliph used to go to the " Nilometer " to attend the celebration.

The Nile Feast in the Fatimid period: They used to celebrate the increase of the Nile. The Caliph used to sail to the "Nilometer", well known as "perfuming the Nilometer", to attend the celebration, but on the other hand if the water didn't increase to the exact measurement the celebration was cancelled. In the day of the celebration, the town used to make a formal celebration and the caliph ride many people and masses to " Perfuming the Nilometer" . In this celebration the recital of the " Holy of Quaraan" used to recite it after that the caliph returned back to his palace.

In the Mamlouk Period: They used to celebrate also this celebration. It took two parts: 1st part which is "Perfuming the Nilometer", and the 2nd part is broken the gulf dam, it took one day. The sultan and his representative used to decent from the citadel with different colored flags and they used to bit on drums until they reached to the "Nilometer". After that, the sultan took his ship which is surrounded with his followers and Masses ships. When they reached to the dam, the representatives of the sultan wait with the masses until the sultan reached with his hours and then he bit on the dam 3 times, with golden doe, after that the followers broke the dam and then the sultan returned to his citadel.

The Ottoman period and their celebration of the increasing of the Nile:

The celebration extended also in the Islamic Ottmane Empire. The Celebration started when the "Wali" ordered to discover the level of the increasing of the Nile. It took seven days and in the last day, the "Wali" was invited to "The Nilometer Island" and was given a huge amount of food. Then the "Wali" Give present to his followers. The "Wali" then sailed to the Nile, until he reached his palace to reaper a huge amount of food to the high official and burned incense.

The River Nile has a special thing which gives it a sign to be different than other world river. It extends from south to North in a straight way extraordinairy. It took about 6640 KM when it started its trip from its main sources in middle Africa until it pour in the Mediterranean, the opposite of all other river which extend from West to East. The River Nile lies in different temperature places so the level of the Rain changed from the sources area which reached to 1000 m.m / year while the "wadi" of the Nile doesn't increase more than 10 mm / year. All of these give the Nile something strange different than other rivers.

There is no other river in the world, has the relationship between the Nile and the people who lived in it, like the river Nile. Every Summer, especially on 15 July, Egyptian used to celebrate the Nilefeast as they knew it since the ancient Egyptian period.