Farms and villages line the banks of the Nile to either side, and at night the minarets of countless mosques light the skies like stars. In ancient times, and for many Egyptians in today's world, traveling on the Nile was the best and most economical means to transport people and goods. Feluccas were fascinating to us, as owners of a more modern, western-style yacht. Their sails have a distinctly different shape that distinguishes them from Makulu II, for example. The rigging is all handled by the crew without winches or other mechanical aids.
Feluccas generally have no motors, but have to sail wherever they go using current and wind.
In ancient times, there was a season for going up the Nile and a season for coming down, regulated by the seasons and their distinct wind patterns. Felucca Boats and Industrious Children, Aswan Feluccas are used less for transport and more for tourism in modern Egypt. Great fleets of feluccas tend to cluster together at the various tourist stops along the river, making for complicated mooring tangles. People often toss coins to them for their songs. In Aswan, a small Nile town, Martiza and I took a felucca ride to Elephantine Island to see the temple there.