Egypt - Aswan

Aswan, Egypt – 2018. Aswan is a busy market and tourist centre located immediately downriver from the Aswan Dams on the Nile River. There are two dams, the Low Dam which was completed in 1902 and the High Dam which was competed in 1970. The city and the dams are at what is historically known as the First Cataract of the Nile River. A cataract or rapid is a shallow part of a river where the surface of the water is broken by many small boulders and stones jutting out of the river bed which makes navigation very dangerous. This obstacle created the ancient divide between Egypt and Nubia. Aswan Botanical Garden are located on a small Island in the Nile known as Kitchener's Island, named after Lord Kitchener who was gifted the island after serving as British Agent and Consul-General in Egypt from 1911 through 1914. While he owned the Island he imported exotic trees and plants from around the world. It was later passed on to the Egyptian government who used it as a research facility. It is now a popular destination for locals and tourists.

Botanical Garden at Kitchener's Island, Aswan

Egyptian Russian Friendship Monument built to commemorate Russia's involvement when the dam was constructed. It represents the five petals of a lotus flower and…