David Roberts' pictures of Egypt are still a valuable insight into the Egypt of the 19th century when going up the Nile was still a very dangerous adventure, with crocodiles in Nubia and an active Arab slave trade still in full operation.

 

 

     The first thing that Roberts did upon acquiring a boat to sail up the Nile in 1838 was to sink the boat under the waters of the Nile for 24 hours to kill off the rats with which it was infested. He then sailed southwards, up the Nile to Abu Symbol, taking notes of anything interesting, and then he sailed leisurely back downstream, painting the sites as he journeyed northwards.

    One obvious thing to stand out from the paintings is that the temples were buried feet deep in wind blown sand which helped preserve the reliefs, or hijacked as dwellings made from mud brick walls, some inside the temples, some on top of them. Some were used as cattle barns, or even ammunition stores, but the vast majority were simply abandoned. Some of the colours in the pictures show they were still as vivid as the day they were first painted.

     Roberts drew the people and culture, very diplomatically, but was quite adept at telling the story without naming names, subtle things like putting the slave owner's wife behind him, in an Islamic veil. Roberts has a sword in his portrait, and no doubt he had several guns, and armed companions, and when the opportunity arose he would have travelled in a convoy of sailing boats with other explorers, for safety.

 

Christian Slave Girls from Ethiopia on their way to Cairo Slave Market

 

    This paintings of Luxor temple is very puzzling to the knowing eye, and if it is accurate, then the river must has changed its course, and the long straight part of the present-day Corniche is man made, a huge construction work, and the present Old Winter Palace is built on a filled in meander of the river Nile.

 

 This part of the river is now filled in and covered with houses and hotels

please wait 30 seconds while loading and if you are not on Broadband it may take longer

This is a multiple image projector. If it does not work on your system, click on the thumbnails listed below.