Memories in space – an amazing flight over Batn el-Hajar

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Memories in space – an amazing flight over Batn el-Hajar

February 17, 2013 by Henrihafsakos

This month it is already five years since I had the opportunity to fly over the northernmost parts of the Nile Valley in Sudan with the Norwegian Bjarne Giske and his Ukranian pilots in a single propel biplane aircraft.

We were flying from Soleb, the location of the impressive temple of pharaoh Amenhotep III (1390-1352 BCE), to the southernmost extension of Lake Nubia/Lake Nasser, the 500-km long reservoir behind the Aswan High Dam.

The idea for going to this remote part of Sudan was the note “Hidden treasures of Lake Nubia” by D. Welsby in Sudan & Nubia (vol. 8, 2004). In 2002, Welsby discovered that two of the Second Cataract fortresses of the Middle Kingdom were not submerged by the reservoir of the Aswan High Dam, as believed until then.

It was indeed amazing to see the southernmost of the two fortresses, Uronarti, appearing on a small island below us. This mud brick structure has survived since it was built almost 4000 years ago, most probably by Senusret III (1870-1831 BCE).

After circling over Uronarti, we continued a short distance before Shelfak appeared on another small island.

On our way north, we flew over the mountains and wadis (dry riverbeds) of the Nubian Desert on the east bank.

On the way back to Soleb, we followed the river at the beginning. We could then see well-known locations from the medieval times. Like the late medieval castle and settlement on the southernmost tip of Kulubnarti.