Ruins of the Old Town on Elephantine Island. Near Aswan, Egypt

"Elephantine saw continuous occupation for thousands of years. Historic remains in the form of pottery and rock carvings attest to its early occupation. The Nubian community immediately to the north of the ancient town -one of three villages on the Island- actually lives on top of part of the tumbled ruins of some forty centuries. Indifferent to the fact that they live beside an important archaeological site, the Nubians literally have fragments of huge statues in their own back yards." [Kamil Jill, 1993: Aswan and Abu Simbel, History and Guide. The American University in Cairo Press]. The photograph depicts ruins of the Old Town on Elephantine Island (Jazirat Aswān), as well as the ruins of St Simeon's Monastery in the background. This photograph was taken when Eliot Elisofon was working on "The Nile" project and traveled to Africa from March 14, 1961 to March 31, 1961, visiting Egypt.