Dawn in Al Minya

“The night passes and I rise early to greet the new day. In the chill grayness of an early dawn, the Nile is inky black, turning slowly to the colour of burnished silver as the sky lightens. There is no sense of motion on the surface of the water as it cuts like a blade through the desert. Overhead, a flitting bat spins after an insect. In the river, a fish rises in a flurry of ripples. The grey sky warms and changes to a soft salmon pink. The birds begin to sing in anticipation of the rebirth of Ra, the Sun God.

A breeze chilled by the icy waters comes off the river and I shiver violently in my shirtsleeves. But the moment is too perfect to worry about the cold. A solitary swallow skims along the icy waters, swooping briefly to drink. Moving steadily upstream, gliding effortlessly against the wind, seven egrets brush the water with perfect wings. As the sky lightens, grey hills on the far bank loom out of the darkness.”