Rooftops, Nagaa Suhayl Gharb, AG, EGY
Incorporating traditional Nubian motifs and cultural practices, the Nubian Village at Aswan is full of vernacular buildings built of concrete and masonry, which express the unique indigenous culture of the Nubian people. The village at Aswan was settled beginning in the 1960s, as the Aswan High Dam was under construction and threatened former indigenous lands and settlements with inundation. As the Nubians are somewhat distinct culturally from the rest of Egypt, they created new settlements in areas that were available, but often separate from other people. Over time, these settlements have grown and fleshed out to the point where some of them resemble aspects of the former villages, though the construction method today is often of clay brick and concrete, rather than the mud brick often found in traditional settlements. Nubian architecture incorporates sets of interlocking arches, interlocking triangular elements, domes, flat roofs, barrel vaults, as well as colorful colors and decorative murals on the outsides of buildings. In some cases, if there is an individual in the village who is seen as particularly “strong,” they will catch and kill a Crocodile, and hang it’s mummified body on the exterior of their home next to the door. Today, this particular village benefits from being close to the tourist resorts of Aswan, while still being separate and somewhat secluded, which has helped the Nubians hold onto their distinct identity and culture for millennia.
Rooftops, Nagaa Suhayl Gharb, AG, EGY
Incorporating traditional Nubian motifs and cultural practices, the Nubian Village at Aswan is full of vernacular buildings built of concrete and masonry, which express the unique indigenous culture of the Nubian people. The village at Aswan was settled beginning in the 1960s, as the Aswan High Dam was under construction and threatened former indigenous lands and settlements with inundation. As the Nubians are somewhat distinct culturally from the rest of Egypt, they created new settlements in areas that were available, but often separate from other people. Over time, these settlements have grown and fleshed out to the point where some of them resemble aspects of the former villages, though the construction method today is often of clay brick and concrete, rather than the mud brick often found in traditional settlements. Nubian architecture incorporates sets of interlocking arches, interlocking triangular elements, domes, flat roofs, barrel vaults, as well as colorful colors and decorative murals on the outsides of buildings. In some cases, if there is an individual in the village who is seen as particularly “strong,” they will catch and kill a Crocodile, and hang it’s mummified body on the exterior of their home next to the door. Today, this particular village benefits from being close to the tourist resorts of Aswan, while still being separate and somewhat secluded, which has helped the Nubians hold onto their distinct identity and culture for millennia.