When construction began on the High Dam in 1960, it was the most heralded part of President Gamal Abdel Nasser’s effort to develop Egypt for all Egyptians. While the dam is certainly not the largest in the world, it is an impressive engineering feat nonetheless, over 360 feet tall and 12,500 feet across. The dam was completed in 1971, and the huge reservoir behind it, named for President Nasser, was finished filling in 1979.
High Dam construction’s
High Dam
The project has always carried controversy with it. The construction displaced over 100,000 Nubians, whose civilization had called the banks of the Nile in southern Egypt and northern Sudan home for millennia, and the rising waters threatened. a number of important ancient monuments and archeological sites. Despite this, the dam provides significant benefits to the people of Egypt.
At the time of its construction, the High Dam was responsible for around 50 % of the electricity production in Egypt, providing electricity country most of Egypt. villages for the first time. By regulating the flow of the river, the dam cultivatable land in Egypt by around 30% and allowed the development of new areas that were previously inundated annually when the river flooded.
High Dam
only about a 15-minute drive south of Aswan so a visit is easy even if your time in the city is limited. and has is an impressive sight and views south over Lake Nasser and north toward the old are spectacular. Don’t be deterred by the tight security. heavily guarded since it would. wash most of Egypt into the Mediterranean if it burst. The is only about a 15-minute drive south of Aswan It is an impressive sight and views south over Lake Nasser and north toward the old Aswan are spectacular. Don’t be deterred by the tight security. is heavily guarded since it would wash most of Egypt into the Mediterranean if it burst.
