Nubian Experience, Aswan Egypt

The Nubians are an ethnic group from Northern Sudan and Southern Egypt who were historically traders of gold and spices and have lived in the area of the Nile for thousands of years. Many were forcefully relocated when the damming of the Nile flooded their ancestral homeland (as well as Abu Simbel, the Temple of Philae and many other antiquities which were also relocated). To understand more about this community and culture you will visit a Nubian village and see how people here live. Unlike most tourist engagements with the Nubian community, we are taking you off the beaten track to the non-touristy side of a Nubian village (not the sanitised ‘Disney’ version most people get). Here you will meet people who live there, see their houses, learn about their infrastructure, tour the village with them, and take a little hike to see some remarkable ancient remains which are truly outliners in terms of the tourist route. You will then enjoy a truly generous traditional meal inside a Nubian home – honestly it feels like enough to feed the entire village so please do come hungry!  You will understand how the homes themselves are structured and divided, how water it fetched and purified, where and by whom the cooking is prepared, and Nubian traditions of hospitality and an ‘open door’ policy.  We recommend taking the opportunity to ask questions about Nubian life and culture, including more probing questions about how Nubian life has changed since the Nile was dammed.