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

The first Nome of Upper Egypt (in some sources referenced as the Nome of the Arch) incorporated the first cataract, the neighboring islands, and the nearby shoreline of the Nile. Three main cities were located here: Abu (Elephantine to the Greeks), a major island; Sunet (Syene to the Greeks, Aswan today) north of the First Cataract and on the east side of the river; and Nubyt (Kom Ombo today in Arabic), further north, situated on a high dune. 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.

For a portion of its history, Nome 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.

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]
  

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