High dam
The High Dam of Aswan is one of the most important achievements of
the in the last century in Egypt, even for many years it was a symbol of
the New Era of the Revolution of 1952. It provided Egypt with water and
electricity and secured the country of the risk of the destructive
inundation.
The Aswan High Dam was a great project! In fact it was one of the
most important achievements of the last century in Egypt, for many years
symbolising the New Era after 1952. Today It provides Egypt with water
and electricity, and secures the country from the risk of the
destructive inundation of the River Nile.
After the revolution of July 1952, President Nasser announced his
proposal for building the High Dam, but was met with Western refusals to
co-operate, so he turned to the Soviet Union for both technological and
financial aid. The result was the present rock-filled structure. The
work began on the 9th January 1960 and the completed dam was opened in
the spring of 1971. This gigantic building is 111m tall, 3.5Km in length
and about 1Km wide! It has a Hydro-electric plant, with 6 turbines,
capable of producing 2.1 million kilowatts.
As a result of its construction, a great lake was
formed, Lake Nasser, which is about 10 km wide in some places, and 500km
long. extending between Egypt and The Sudan – the worlds largest
man-made lake! This lake also has an immense fish population, which is
commercially exploited. Because raising the water caused the damage, and
loss, of so many of the Nubian monuments, great efforts were made by
the Egyptian Government, aided by UNESCO and other countries, to save
the most important monuments of Nubia.