ASWAN /
Elephantine
The island of Elephantine is very attractive in several respects. Its natural setting is quite beautiful, at the point where Nile's 1st Cataract has tossed gigantic granite rocks around. Elephantine is perhaps just a heap of such rocks, creating several beauty spots. Fresh vegetation, the white sails of the feluccas, colourful Nubian villages and the finest Nilometer along the whole Nile. Elephantine's name is a mystery. Does it reflect that elephants lived here? At least they do no longer. Another theory is that the island has received its name from the southernmost point, where the rocks look quite a bit like an elephant's skull. Elephantine was in Ancient Egypt called Yebu or Abu. This history goes back to 3000 BCE, and Yebu represented effectively the national and cultural border towards Cush, the country further south. Elephantine's wealth was largely connected to ivory trade and the quarrying of granite nearby. Also important was Elephantine as a religious centre, especially for the god, Khnum.
