The Aswan High Dam is 3,600 meters long and 111 meters high. It is a most important project and President Gamal Abdel Nasser was responsible for pushing its construction.
The High Dam
Explore the High Dam, which he considers the most achievement of modern Egypt, when President Nasser announced his proposal to build the High Dam, the project began in 1960 and was completed in 1970. This gigantic building is 111 m high, 3.5 km long, and approximately 1 km wide! After its construction was completed, the area behind the dam was flooded with water and became Lake Nasser and is considered the largest artificial lake in the world.
Where exactly is the High Dam located?
In the city of Aswan, which gives its name to the reservoir, it is located on the right bank of the Nile, next to the first waterfall. Two dams have been built in this area: the new High Dam and the smaller and older Aswan Dam or Lower Aswan Dam.
When was the High Dam created and why?
It is a mega-construction, designed in 1956 and built between 1960 and 1970 by the Egyptian and Soviet governments, to end the floods that occurred in the lower Nile territory as a result of the sudden increase in the flow of the Nile.
What is the importance of the dam?
The dam provides Egypt with water and electricity in addition to the fishery. It has a hydroelectric plant, with 6 turbines, capable of producing 2.1 million kilowatts. Because raising the water to fill the dam caused loss and damage to many of the Nubian monuments, the Egyptian government, with the help of UNESCO, made great efforts along with other countries, to save the most important monuments in Nubia.
A report issued by the International Commission on Dams and Major Corporations. The report evaluated the High Dam at the top in all projects.
It said that it exceeded all architectural projects and was chosen by the International Commission as the largest engineering project built in the 20th century. It crossed all other giant projects such as the “Shack Lap Kok Airport” in Hong Kong and also the “Channel Tunnel” linking Britain and France.
The international report confirmed that the High Dam surpassed all 122 giant projects in the world. Due to the benefits, it has brought to Egyptians, it provided Egypt with its strategic water balance 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.
Let yourself be pampered by the breathtaking panoramic view of the High Dam. Explore the brightest sites of Aswan, the sparkling city when you visit Egypt, have a worthy adventure through the High Dam with Gate 2 Egypt.
