High Dam Aswan, Egypt, is a mega construction designed in 1956 that began construction in 1959 and ended in 1970, taking approximately 10 years of development. This dam is the third-largest reservoir in the world and holds the Nile River, considered the longest in the world.
Before the construction of a dam in Aswan, Egypt was experiencing annual flooding of the Nile River that deposited 4 million tons of sediment-rich nutrients to support agricultural production. In 1989, a first dam, known as the Lower Aswan Dam, was built.
but it proved insufficient in the face of rising Nile flows. In 1946, the real danger became apparent when the water in the reservoir reached its maximum at the top of the dam and it was decided to build a second dam 8 kilometers upstream of the river.
That is why the dam to prevent flooding and safeguard the Egyptian territory, the dam was built at 111 meters above sea level. It has a length of 480 km, a maximum width of 16 km, and a storage capacity between 150 and 165 km3.
On 26 July 1956, the Egyptian nationalist leader Gamal Abdel Nasser announced, during a speech in Alexandria, his wish to nationalize the Suez Canal.
The leader was pursuing several objectives with the initiative, but the most important was to obtain funding to build the Aswan Dam, which would control the flow of the Nile and improve the country’s economy.
Welcome to Aswan, a captivating city nestled along the banks of the mighty Nile River in southern Egypt. This timeless destination is steeped in history, boasting ancient temples, stunning natural landscapes, and a vibrant local culture. Embark on a journey of discovery as you unravel the hidden treasures that Aswan has to offer.
The Aswan High Dam in Egypt measures a staggering 3,600 meters in length and 111 meters in height. Another impressive measurement is the 980-meter-wide base. You will be surprised to learn that it was also built with 43 million cubic meters of stone.
It is thanks to its construction that Lake Nesser, which is 500 kilometers long and up to 16 kilometers wide, originated. Because it also occupies a total of 6,000 square kilometers of water. Which makes it the largest man-made lake in the world.
President Gamal Abdel Nasser was responsible for promoting its construction and bringing the project to a successful conclusion. He showed great political maneuvering skills during the Cold War.
When the Americans withdrew their initial support for the dam project, he was able to reconcile interests with the Soviet Union, which sponsored a third of the total cost of the project, in addition to providing technical and constructive advice to complete the dam.
Before reaching the inside of the dam on the right, there is a monument in the shape of the lotus flower, it was built as a building of Egyptian-Soviet friendship and cooperation, surrounded by a small lake, on the walls of the building there are reliefs of a text vi lingual in Arabic and Russian language declaring the Soviet-Egyptian friendship.
The international report confirmed that the High Dam surpassed the 122 giant projects in the world.
Due to the benefits it has brought to Egyptians, it provided Egypt with its strategic balance in water after the Nile water was one of the most famous floods lost in vain in the Mediterranean.
The High Dam is 3600 m long with a material volume of 43 million m³. At maximum capacity, it can discharge 11,000 m³ of water per second.
It has additional emergency spillways for a volume of 5000 m³.
There is a reservoir, called Lake Nasser, 480 km long and 16 km at its widest point, with a surface area of 6,000 km² and containing between 150 and 165 km³ of water. It flooded a large part of lower Nubia and more than 90,000 people were displaced.
