Aswan High Dam was the key the Egyptians used to enter the industrial age and tame the floods of the river Nile, and gain new powers and wealth. The High Dam of Aswan is one of the most important Egyptian achievements of the last century. It was the new Era’s symbol of the 1952 revolution.
It saved Egypt from flooding and provided it with water and electricity. The High Dam is one of the newest miracles to be added to the golden city of Aswan, which enabled Egypt to reach new heights and take an important step into the future.
The History of the Aswan High Dam
Throughout the history of Egypt, there have been many attempts to construct a dam in Aswan. In the 9th century, during the reign of the Fatimid Caliph Al-Hakim Bi-Amr Allah a polymath and engineer by the name of Ibn al-Haytham attempted to regulate the flooding of the Nile by building a dam, but was not successful.
In 1912 AD, King Farouk ordered a Greek-Egyptian engineer called Adrian Daninos to build the high dam, but it was not completed. The Great President Gamal Abd El-Nasser ordered to build the High Dam after the revolution in 1952, but he was met with the western refusals from the UK and the US to co-operate, and that’s why he turned to the Soviet Union for their technological and financial support.
The work started on January 9th, 1960, and was completed in 1971 in the spring. Lake Nasser was the result of the High Dam construction, which is an outstanding lake between Egypt and Sudan. It is one of the largest man-made lakes in the world, built to store water.
It sits on an area of 5,250 sq km (2,030 sq mi) and is capable of holding up to 132 cubic km (1.73×1011 cu yd) of water. The Egyptian Government made a great effort to save the Nubian monuments from the damage caused by the rising level of water.
Aswan High Dam Location
The Aswan High Dam is located in southern Egypt, about 13 kilometers (8 miles) south of the city of Aswan. It spans the Nile River at one of its narrowest points, near the First Cataract.
The dam’s strategic position controls the flow of the Nile river, helping to regulate seasonal flooding, provide water for irrigation, and generate hydroelectric power. This impressive structure was built between 1960 and 1970 with assistance from the Soviet Union.
The Architecture of the Aswan High Dam
Aswan High Dam is 111 m high, with a length of 3,830 m (12,570 ft), and a width of 980 m (3,220 ft). It can hold up to 43,000,000 cubic meters (56,000,000 cu yd) of material and has a hydroelectric plant, with six turbines, capable of producing 2.1 million kilowatts, and this is the reason why it is considered one of the most important Egyptian sources for electricity and water.
The total investment in order to construct such a huge project cost $1.12bn, paid by the Soviet Union as a form of investment with a 2% interest. It provides water for around 33,600 km of irrigation land stored at Lake Nasser.
It required some 44 million cubic meters of building materials and a workforce of about 34,000 people to be built in full over 10 years. The High Dam also has 12 Francis turbines, with a capacity of 2,100 MW to supply electricity for industrial and household use.
The Problems and Effects of the Aswan High Dam
The High Dam was mainly constructed to regulate the flow of the River that resulting in supplying irrigation water for all parts of Egypt for the whole year. It also contributed to increasing tourism by offering the chance to navigate across the Nile River during Nile cruise packages. Its water is used to feed 12 power turbines. Let’s divide the impacts of the High Dam into categories:
The Economic Impact of the Aswan High Dam
The great High Dam has provided the ability for Egyptians to control the annual Nile flood. It now uses floodwater to irrigate thousands of acres, to improve navigation around Aswan, and supply the country with a huge amount of electricity, up to 50% of the entire electricity production.
It helped in the generation of hydropower, and it caused an increase in industrial activities and diversity because of the availability of electricity. The dam protected Egypt from droughts and provided irrigation waters to 2 million Feddan (840,000 hectares) that became available for farming for various crops like rice, wheat, cotton, sugar cane, and acted as the new homes for 500,000 families.
The Social Impact of the Aswan High Dam
The High Dam gave the country peace and stability because of the economic activities and the higher standard of living. It has also benefited in the settlement issues. It provided huge opportunities for youth to raise their social standard while finding new job offers.
The Biological Impact of the Aswan High Dam
The High Dam led to the spread of a dangerous virus called schistosomiasis (bilharzia), and it’s one of the negative impacts. It helped in the implications of fish production and has changed the flora fauna.
The Physical Impact of the Aswan High Dam
The great High Dam helped in the reclamation of the desert, which helped a lot in the development of the agricultural process. It changed the soil salinity and waterlogging. It changed the flow in the Nile both upstream and downstream of the dam. It caused sedimentation in the River Nile and Lake Nasser.
Aswan High Dam Problems
While the Aswan High Dam has brought significant benefits, but unfortunately caused several environmental and social issues which including:
- The dam has reduced the natural flow of nutrient-rich silt to Egypt’s farmlands, leading to the gradual salinization of the soil, making it less fertile over time.
- The creation of Lake Nasser, the reservoir formed by the dam, led to the relocation of around 100,000 Nubians and the loss of many cultural heritage sites.
- Lake Nasser has altered local ecosystems, affecting fish populations and wildlife that relied on the seasonal flooding of the Nile. In addition, waterlogging and increased salinity have impacted agricultural productivity in some areas.
- The dam traps silt that previously replenished soil in the Nile Delta, causing erosion along the Mediterranean coastline and reducing agricultural efficiency.
- Lake Nasser, with the construction of the dam, caused the indirect flooding and displacement of 22 archaeological monuments, which include Abu Simbel Temple, Philae Temple, and many more epic attractions.
Great Facts about the High Dam of Aswan
- More than 50,000 Nubians were relocated as far as 45 kilometers away from their homes during the construction process.
- The construction of the High Dam took about ten years until it was completed in 1970, which you can witness during your luxury Egypt tours
- A polymath and engineer who is called Ibn al-Haytham, was given the task of regulating the flooding of the Nile by the Fatimid Caliph Al-Hakim Bi-Amr Allah.
- In 1912, a Greek-Egyptian engineer Adrian Daninos presented a plan for constructing the high dam, but King Farouk didn’t like the idea.
- Gamal Abd El-Nasser was the one who wanted to store the water of Egypt by constructing the High Dam.
- Soviets offered President Gamal $1.12 billion to construct the dam as he needed support.
- The Dam also protected Egypt from the droughts that devastated East and West Africa in 1972–1973 and 1983–1987.
- The High Dam resulted in the loss of sediments that were carried in the flood, which played a natural fertilizer, plus the decline of fish production after it affected the natural marine ecosystem.
- It crosses the River Nile, which is the longest river in the world.
- It provides about half of the total supply of power in Egypt.
- It generates about 10 billion kilowatt-hours of hydroelectric power.
- This magnificent construction was planned by British engineers but was built by a different team of engineers from the Soviet Union.
- Before it was constructed, many Egyptian monuments had to be moved so that they wouldn’t be affected by the flood, just like Abu Simbel, which had to be moved so that it would stay as it is, but with the construction of the High Dam, everything changed for be better.
- Lake Nasser was constructed by the High Dam builders to become one of the largest artificial lakes in the world.
Explore Egypt's Modern Miracle: Lake Nasser
Lake Nasser is by far one of the largest artificial lakes in the world, which was created in the 1960s as a result of the construction of the Aswan High Dam. This vast reservoir spans over 5,250 square kilometers (2,030 sq mi), extending 550 km (340 mi) in length and up to 35 km (22 mi) in width, covering parts of southern Egypt and northern Sudan.
Named after Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser, the lake played a pivotal role in controlling the Nile's floods, generating hydroelectric power, and providing water for irrigation. However, its creation led to the displacement of around 50,000 Nubians, who were relocated to a new region called New Nubia, approximately 45 km from Aswan.
Culturally, the most significant impact was the relocation of 22 ancient monuments, including Abu Simbel and Philae Temple, in an ambitious UNESCO-led archaeological rescue mission, one of the most complex and costly in history. The lake, which has a maximum depth of 130 meters (430 ft) and a volume of 132 km³ (32 cu mi), receives its primary inflows from the Nile and Wadi Allaqi, while its primary outflows are the Nile and the Toshka Spillway.
Despite initial opposition from Sudan, whose land was partly submerged, Lake Nasser has become an important resource, boosting Egypt's agriculture, fishing, and tourism industries. The portion of the lake in Sudan is called Lake Nubia, though 83% of it lies in Egypt, with its shoreline stretching 7,844 km (25,735,000 ft) and a surface elevation of 183 meters (600 ft).
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In the end, hope you enjoyed all the information in this article, and if you have an exciting sense of adventure and decide to explore Egypt, then you can check our Egypt tours and Nile river cruise, which provide various Egypt vacations to all the best destinations in the land of Pharaohs.
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