The Nubian people will never forget the 60's when president Nasser decided to build the high dam, the Aswan dam created a reservoir behind it, a big lake (lake Nasser) the largest in the world (310 miles in length) washed away over 45 Nubian villages, and forced thousands of Nubians to move away from the lands they inhabited for more than 5000 years.
The Nubians used to survive on farming, fishing and trade, but now they have to move to the cities to find work, leaving their own communities in the new Nubian villages with unsustainable environments, specially that they were relocated to sandy lands away from the river. The Sudanese government is now in the process of building the Merowe dam on the third cataract of the river Nile, which will cause the same destruction and relocation of thousands of Nubians in northern Sudan!.
Nubian handmade work:
Colorful cotton thread woven plate, the plate is made from the leaves of palm trees, used as a basket cover or decoration on the wall.Nubian women are famous for their beads work, like this glittering beaded shawl, this one is using silver colored beads.
and with golden beads,
I have just come back from a trip to both Nubia and Nagada in Southern Egypt. The Nubian civilization goes back to 3800 years BC, the Nubian kings ruled Egypt during the 25th dynasty for about a 100 years. Nubians look different than both the Africans of the south in Sudan and the Egyptians of the north of Egypt, they have darker skin than the Egyptians of the north and finer facial features than the Africans of Sudan, Nubia extends from the southern part of Egypt (Aswan) to the northern parts of Sudan.
I went with a nubian friend Abd Elsalam to two Nubian villages Gharb Sohail and Eneiba, you can see him and myself (wearing the red scarf) in the video, you can also notice the distinct Nubian style of building in the video.
The singer is also Nubian, his name is Hasan Abdel Magid, the song says something like "Masr, Egypt is the gentle breeze on the nights, the jasmine sellers, and a rusty mirror in the cafe that i visit and take a look at, Masr is the turquoise sky, the passing birds, and the humid Qolla (Egyptian water clay cooler) filled with water on the window, and the grandfather sitting cross legged reading the Journal."
