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Lake Nasser
Located in Southern Egypt, Lake Nasser, is one of the worlds largest man made lakes, created in the 1960s by the building of the High Dam. The lake is named after Gamal Abdel Nasser, president of Egypt from 1956-1970. This huge lake is approximately 310 miles long and covers an area of 1550 square miles, in places it has a depth of 600 feet. The southern third of the lake is in the Sudan and is called Lake Nubia. When the High Dam was completed it flooded what was once the site of the temple of Abul Simble built by Ramases11 in 1200 BC. Along with some of the other temples Abul Simble was moved to higher ground. Sadly some were lost whilst others still wait to be rescued.
The lake is remote and sparsely populated by fishermen, and Bedouin, who can occasionally be seen grazing their camels and sheep on the meagre vegetation at the edge of the lake. The shoreline has a variety of landscapes from rugged hills to flat and sandy areas with clean freshwater beaches. The region is a popular adventure holiday destination offering a variety of safaris for game fishing, crocodile watching, and wildlife. The area also has an impressive variety of birds, mammals, and reptiles. There are more than 100 species of birds from wild duck, Egyptian geese, pelicans and herons to egrets, several species of hawks, kites, falcons and eagles. In most areas there are crocodile, monitor lizards, Dorcas gazelle, jackals, desert fox, and various smaller desert mammals.
Lake Nasser is not used for water sports as its mainly for drinking and irrigation There are no facilities available on Lake Nasser for water sports. |
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FISHING LAKE NASSER.
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Shore fishing. Lake Nasser offers a rich variety of fishing with over 32 species, such as Nile Perch, two species of Tilapia, Tiger Fish and several species of catfish with the legendary giant Vundu being the largest. Requiring a higher degree of skill many Lake Nasser's regulars prefer shore fishing, which can often produce more fish. With the possibility of catching big fish shore fishing can be a great challenge. The present record is 179lb. Most shore fishing is done during the morning when its cooler.
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Trolling. Big Nile perch can be caught using this method. Also due to the heavier tackle landing fish is easier when trolling.
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FISH OF LAKE NASSER.
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NILE PERCH. The Nile perch (Lates niloticus) is a predator that feeds on other fish, also known as sangara, mputa, or capitaine. A large-mouthed game fish that grows up to 6 ft (1.8 m) long and can weigh up to 400 lb (180 kg.) The Nile perch is the largest freshwater fish in the world accessible to anglers. There is an account from Lake Victoria where local fishermen caught an incredible 232 kg 516lb Nile perch. The all tackle world record for Nile perch was a spectacular fish of 213lb. The largest Nile perch caught was 6'2" long with a 4'11" girth. This huge fish was landed by Gerald Eastmure, a 78 year old tea planter from India. There were no scales big enough to weigh the massive fish still living in Lake Nasser.
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TIGER FISH. Tiger fish abound in the lake, and of the two species the most common is Hydrocynus forskalli that grows to 7 kg (15lb+).The Tiger fish a savage predators is related to the South American Piranha and just one look at their vicious teeth, will leave you in no doubt. There are few fish with such a fierce fighting spirit, offering a challenge for any angler. |
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CATFISH. There are 18 species of Catfish in the lake, the two most interesting to anglers, are the Bagrus and the legendary Vundu. If you hook a Vundu it will give you an unforgettable fight. The local fishermen talk of specimens that weighed well over 100lb. There are various methods of fishing available from trolling and lure casting to fly fish from the shore. Shore fishing presents an exciting challenge and can produce big fish. The largest shore caught fish to date is a 179lb Nile perch. |
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NOTE. Illegal hunting and the collection or trade in protected species mainly Crocodiles, Monitor lizards, Dorcas Gazells and non-game birds is forbidden.
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BIRDS. Lake Nasser has become increasingly important as a wintering area for migratory Palearctic water birds. During January and February, over 56,000 water birds can be counted on the lake. The total number of water birds wintering on the entire lake could be in excess of 200,000, making it one of the most important wetlands in Egypt. Most common are Black-necked Grebe, Eastern White Pelican, Duck, Northern Shoveler, Eurasian Wigeon, and Black-headed Gulls. Breeding birds include Egyptian Goose, Black Kite, Curlew, Plovers and Lapwings, Kittlitz's Plover, Crested Lark, and Old World Warblers. This is the only area where African Skimmer and African Pied Wagtail are known to breed in Egypt. During the summer months there is a significant influx of Mycteria Ibis and Pink-backed pelican into Lake Nasser. |
Places of Interest.
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Abu Simbel. One of the most familiar images of ancient Egypt, after the Giza Pyramids. The temples have been dismantled in blocks and relocated 60 meters from their original location. |
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Ramses Temple. The massive facade is dominated by four colossal statues of Ramses, wearing the double crown of Upper and Lower Egypt. The entrance leads to a Grand Hall. Beautiful illustrations on the temple wall's depict the Battle of Kadesh. The noas contains four statues of Amon, Ra-Horakhti, Ramses and Ptah, bathed by the sun light twice a year, with the solstices. |
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Nefertari Temple. The temple is dedicated to Hator as well as Nefertari, Ramses favourite wife. The facade of the temple is a receding pylon, with two statues of Nefertari and four statues of Ramses. |
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Kalabsha. Built by the Roman Emperor August, this Greco-Roman temple, is dedicated to the Nubian Horus, Mandoulis, god of fertility. This temple has been moved with the help of Germany. You can get a wonderful view of the temple from the visitors' centre on the High Dam. |
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Beit El-Ouali. This hemi-speos temple, is built partially into the rock face by Ramses II, it depicts wars and victories against Syria, Libya and Ethiopia |
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Kertassi. Located at Wadi El Seboua, this rock temple was built by Ramses II and dedicated to the god Amon and Ra Horakhti. An alley of sphinxes precedes the entrance to the temple. The temple was transformed into a church at a later date. |
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Dakka. A unique feature of this temple is that it is north facing. It is dedicated to Thoth. The temple was moved by Egypt. Dakka with its enigmatic relief's is from the end of the Ptolemaic period. |
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Maharraka. Small temple dedicated to Isis and Serapis. The temple has a unique spiral staircase. |
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Amada. This is the oldest temple of Nubia, built by Thoutmosis III and Amenophis II. Due to the quality of the temples polychrome decoration, it was moved in one block on rails by a team of French archaeologist, about two miles to its present location. As if to emphasise the empire-building aspirations, one of the temple builders, Amenophis II, left a stela telling of his campaigns in Syria, perhaps as a warning to all who might visit the temple. |
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Derr. Rock temple built by Thoutmosis III. Which was at one time used as a Christian Church The temple of Derr, close by, was built by Ramesses II as a prototype of his magnificent temple at Abu Simbel. We were entertained by the temple guardians, who added 'ethnic flavour' to the site by playing local folk tunes and then we went into the rock-cut temple. Although it is plain on the outside, inside there are some magnificent coloured relief's, showing similar scenes to those at Abu Simbel - representations of ceremonies and divinities. |
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Pennout. This is the only preserved example of a tomb of a viceroy of Nubia (the Ouaouat country). Pennout, was an administrator for Ramesses IV. The tomb, once magnificently decorated, has been badly damaged. Fortunately, the tomb was fully recorded in the 1930s. |
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Qasr Ibrim. The English translation for Qasr Ibrim is Fort of Ibrim. Qasr Ibrim, stands on the highest of three headlands on the east bank of the Nile. The headland today, is usually an island, although at times the lake reveals a land bridge joining the shore. Due to the ongoing excavations begun in 1959 by the Egyptian Exploration Society, the site is out of bounds to tourist. The only way to see the complex is from one of the many cruise boats that ply Lake Nasser. The exact origin of the site, is unknown it may have originally been fortified during the 12 th dynasty (the Middle Kingdom) when the kings were establishing control of the trade route along the Nile. However, the earliest archaeological evidence for the site dates to about 1000 BC, considerably after the end of the Middle Kingdom. |
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