Sandstone cliffs bordering the Nile River. Aswan, Egypt

"The 350km long stretch of the Nile from the Sudan border to 7km upstream from Aswan once flowed through a narrow valley bordered by sandstone cliffs but is now covered by the waters of the artificial lake known to Egyptians as Lake Nasser and to Sudanese as Lake Nubia. As the river passed Elephantine, however, the confining hills drew back, the Nile waters spread into the flood plain, and the velocity diminished." [Kamil Jill, 1993: Aswan and Abu Simbel, History and Guide. The American University in Cairo Press]. 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.