Saqiya, or water-wheel. Al Uqsur and Karnak village, Egypt

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Object Details

Local Numbers: Negative number 72658 AC-11, 3A.
General: Title source: Index card based on photographer's notes.
Local Note: Typed index card reads, "M 6 Egy. Egypt. Thebes. Sakieh wheel (water wheel). 3/1965. EE. neg.no. 72658 AC-11, 3A." The card was written in 1977-79 by Archives staff using source provided by photographer.

See more items in: Eliot Elisofon Field collection; Eliot Elisofon Field collection / Egypt

Archival Repository: Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art

Type: Archival materials; Negatives (photographic); Black-and-white negatives; Negatives

Collection Citation: Eliot Elisofon Field Collection, EEPA 1973-001, Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution

Collection Rights: Permission to reproduce images from the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives must be obtained in advance. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.

Scope and Contents: During his trip to egypt, Elisofon visited Thebes, an ancient city of Upper Egypt, spanned the Nile River about 400 miles south of modern Cairo. The east bank is the site of modern Luxor (Al Uqsur) and El Karnak, and was formerly the city of the living, with great temples and residences. On the west bank was the city of the dead, containing the valleys of the royal tombs, royal mortuary temples, and the houses of priests and workers devoted to the dead. The Egyptians called the city Wase, and later Nowe. The ancient Greeks called it Thebes, probably because it reminded them of their own Thebes, with its large gates. It was destroyed by the Romans in 29 BCE. Today the area is an archaeological site. [The J. P. Getty Fund: Art and Architecture Thesaurus]. This photograph was taken when Eliot Elisofon was on assignment for American Institute of Architects, directing the Egyptian portion of the documentary on Ancient Egypt, March 1965 and September 1965.

Collection Restrictions: Use of original records requires an appointment. Contact Archives staff for more details.