The Nile in Winter...

At this time of year, the Nile is at its lowest, as it passes through Luxor. Since the mid 1960s the height of the river has been regulated by the Aswan High Dam, but coincidentally it matches the pattern of the flow of the river when the land on either side of the river was flooded annually.

In fact this pattern goes back to the days of the pharaohs, where they were personally responsible for the height of the flood - a bad flood would suggest that the pharaoh was losing his magical powers!

In the background, you can see Luxor Temple, which was built during the 18th and 19th dynasties (approx 3500 years ago) and to the right is the Winter Palace, which is Luxor's most famous hotel, dating from the late 1800s.

In front of the temple and hotel, there are several cruise ships - to me, the curse of the Nile here, as they have their generators on 24/7 while they are docked. Despite this, and the revolution, they are still one of the most popular ways for tourists to explore Luxor and Aswan.