Welcome to one of the most scenic regions along the Nile! Rich in history and in culture, explore the Sepat of Horus!

The First Sepat of Upper Egypt is known by two names: Ta Khentit which means the Arch and Ta Seti meaning the Frontier. The area incorporated the area around the first cataract, the neighboring islands, and the nearby shoreline of the Nile, and stretched north to Gebel el-Silsila.

Also today, the landscape here is impressive. Instead of the wildly streaming waters of the cataract there is now only the calm surface of the Old Dam, surrounded by barren rocks and desert. Above the Dam is the city of Swenet (Gr: Syene, modern Aswan) with its palm trees, gardens and bustling daily life, an oasis in this country built of rock, sand, water and sky. Below the dam, the Nile spreads out into a lake, where the various islands float, sundrenched and reflected in the surprisingly clear water.

The area just south of Aswan before the Old Dam was built.

Three cities were located here: Abu (Elephantine to the Greeks), the island by Swenet, north of the First Cataract. Further north and on the east side of the river is Nubyt (Kom Ombo today in Arabic), situated on a high dune.

This was the border, the frontier to the south and the mysterious Kingdom of Kush with its riches. Contacts between the Egyptians and this country were frequent all throughout history, both peaceful trading and war expeditions, to the point of there even being built a fortress at Buhen. Many pharaohs and other travellers left their inscriptions here which still can be read on the cliffs.

The cataracts of the Nile impeded shipping and travel, and canals had to be cut so that overland portage at these points could be eliminated. The first record of a major man-made canal is that from the reign of Pepi I in the 6th Dynasty, when one was carved through the granite of the First Cataract. It served both as military defense and for economic purposes. The first canal was 90 meters long, ten wide and nine deep. Senusret III of the 12th Dynasty is recorded as having dug a new one at the same cataract. The canals had to be dredged and repaired frequently, or they would fill in. Granite for the innumerable construction projects of the Pharaohs would be shipped via barge down the Nile, and the cities, especially Abu, along the way made for convenient stopovers.

Manoevering a boat down the cataract in the old days.

In the New Kingdom, Ramesses II constructed Abu Simbel, a temple complex on the western shore, some 250 km southeast of Aswan and not so far from the fortress of Buhen and the Second Cataract. It is worth mentioning here, even though the Sepat border didn´t stretch that far, which left the temples on Nubian territory. The greater temple was dedicated to the deified Ramesses II, Re-Harakhte, Ptah and Amun-Re, and the smaller one to his Great Wife and favourite spouse, Nefertari, and to the goddess Hathor.

Abu Simbel, as D. Roberts saw them in the 18th Century.

For a portion of its history, Sepat 1 was considered the boundary between Egypt and Nubia, until the latter was conquered.

During the time of interest, this region of Egypt grew stands of sycamores and palm trees near the river. The drought-tolerant acacia trees grew at the edges of desert. Trees were never dense. Grasses and small shrubs were common. The floodplains were heavily farmed. Even today, the cataracts of the Nile are considered beautiful and both Aswan recieves a steady stream of tourists. Lately there are also cruise boats on the Lake Nasser.

Sources for Nome of Horus:

• Clayton, Chronicles of the Pharaohs
  
• Darby, Chalioungui, Grivetti, Food: The Gift of Osiris (Vol. 1 & 2)
  
• Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature (Vol. 1)
  
• Meskell, Private Life in New Kingdom Egypt
  
• Sementawy Horemheb
  
• [Tour Egypt] [Egyptian Monuments] [Bread Ancient Style] [Nilometer]
  

Drawings are from the public domain and photos are by Mirjam Nebet.

Featured Internal Connections:

• History of Kemet (Academic Group)
• Warfare in Ancient Egypt (Academic Group)
• Sesh Ked (Academic Group)
• Architectural Methods (Academic Group)
• Egyptomania! (World Thread)

Heri-tep a'a: Mirjam Nebet