Aswan High Dam, located in Egypt, is an embodiment of engineering prowess and a testament to the nation’s desire for progress and modernity. The High Dam Served multiple purposes and significantly influenced Egypt’s economy, agriculture, and infrastructure.

Aswan High Dam

Herodotus said that Egypt is a gift from the Nile. The eternal river has always been and will remain this gift. He may spread his generosity here and there during one year’s floods, while the next year will bring only drought and deprivation.  

Aswan High Dam in Focus

The Purpose of Building Aswan High Dam

The High Dam’s Purpose

• Stopping Floods and Droughts: The Nile River, where the Dam is, used to flood a lot some years and barely had any water in other years. The Dam helps control that.
• Generate Electricity: The Dam uses the river’s water to generate electricity, which helps power homes and businesses in Egypt.
• Helping Farms: With the Dam holding back water, farmers can water their crops more easily. This means more food for everyone.

But, While the Aswan High Dam has been instrumental in Egypt’s growth, it hasn’t come without challenges:

• Lake Nasser Issues: Aswan High Dam made a big lake called Lake Nasser. But this big lake loses much water because of the hot sun. Also, the good mud that used to make the soil fertile gets stuck behind the Dam. So, farmers now need more man-made fertilizers.
• Health Problems: The still water of Lake Nasser has some snails that can make people sick.
• Historical Loss: Building the Dam caused many old places to go underwater. Even though some important sites were moved, a lot of history needed to be recovered.

What is the history of the Aswan High Dam?  

Aswan Dam’s Rich History

“Institute Hydroproject of Russia, in collaboration with various engineers from Egypt, designed the Aswan High rock-fill dam.”

From 1907 to 1912, the Dam was raised to 45 meters to store 2,420 million cubic meters of water. 

In the period from 1928 to 1934, the Dam was built again to 47 meters, which increased the volume of the reservoir to 5 billion cubic meters. 

However, Aswan Low Dam was not adequate to control the annual flooding, which gave rise to the idea of constructing a higher dam in 1952, with funding from the World Bank being sought in 1954. 

The US and the UK had previously tried to fund part of the project, but it did not materialize. The US withdrew the funding, followed by the UK and the World Bank. The Soviet Union finally provided the required funds in 1958. Construction of Aswan High Dam began in 1960.

Aswan First Dam

The Aswan Dam, sometimes called the Old Dam, was built from Aswan granite between 1898 and 1902. For many years, it was the largest Dam in the world and was considered an engineering marvel. Its length is 2 thousand meters, the thickness of the base is 30 meters, and the thickness of the top is 10 meters. It rises 40 meters above the Nile River and stores 1,090 million cubic meters of water.  

Historical Aswan First Dam

How many gates does the Dam include? 

The Dam includes 180 gates, which were opened in June during the flood season and then gradually closed during the summer period. 

gates of Aswan High Dam

What is the modern Aswan High Dam?

Over the centuries, pharaohs and farmers tried to control the river by building canals, enclosures and reservoirs. They achieved all this with limited success, and shortly after the 1952 revolution, discussion of constructing a dam in Aswan to store large quantities of water began again.  

The new Aswan Dam

the New Dam

Engineers were brought in from all over the world to work on the project. Their goal was to provide Egypt with a stable supply of water and electricity, protect it from constant spills and floods, and save it from drought. The new Aswan Dam was the only solution to these problems. West German companies developed the plan, and engineers from the Soviet Union implemented it.

Construction of the new Aswan high dam, “Saad Al-Ali” Dam, began on January 9, 1971, under the leadership of President Sadat. More than 30,000 people worked day and night for 10 years to build the Dam. The length of the new Dam is more than 3,600 meters, the thickness of the base is 980 meters, the thickness of the top is 40 meters, and its height is 111 meters. 

The Dam contains 12 turbines, each with a capacity of 120,000 horsepower. To build the Dam, 17 million cubic meters of rock and 42 cubic meters of other raw materials were extracted. After the construction of the Dam, a huge lake was formed and was named after the first president of Egypt – Lake Nasser. 

 

How did Lake Nasser, formed by the Dam, affect the region?

Scenic Lake Nasser

This lake, which was formed behind a dam more than 500 kilometers long, has become the largest artificial lake in the world. The lake stores 157 billion cubic meters of water, and its depth in some places reaches more than 180 meters. During the construction of the Dam, a lotus-shaped monument was created to symbolize Soviet-Egyptian friendship.

A discussion of dam building can only be completed by mentioning Nubia. More than 100,000 people from Upper Egypt and Sudan were evacuated from their homes to other places. In a very short time, scientists, archaeologists, photographers and historians around the world were forced to study and record the history of Nubia before the waters of the Aswan High Dam covered it.  

Although, thanks to the efforts of the international community, many architectural monuments of Nubia, temples of the pharaohs, Abu Simbel Temples, and more were saved, many of them sank underwater. 

There are two dams in Aswan.

Aswan dams

When Egypt outgrew the first Dam completed in 1902 (referred to as the Low Dam), the larger High Dam was built 3.75 mi (6 km) upstream. It took over ten years to construct and was completed in 1970. The result is the ability to control the annual flooding of the Nile as well as generate enormous amounts of electric power. Lake Nasser, one of the largest artificial lakes in the world, was formed by the High Dam. 

Aswan High Dam allowed Egypt to double its electrical supply. With the creation of Lake Nassar, it supplied Egypt with the majority of its water supply. It is controversial since they needed to relocate 90,000 Nubian people. Because of potential flooding, they had to dismantle ancient sites and rebuild them on higher ground. Take the opportunity to visit the Dam and the Lake Nasser cruise to see these rebuilt extraordinary sites.

conclusion

Aswan High Dam, a feat of engineering in Egypt, successfully tamed the unpredictable Nile, bolstering agriculture and supplying electricity. Nevertheless, it brought about challenges such as water loss and submerged heritage sites. It remains a symbol of Egypt’s progress, highlighting the intricate balance between development and preservation.