Nile, Egypt

According to clothingexpress, the Nile River is one of the greatest water arteries on planet Earth. It can be said without exaggeration that the Nile is the source of life for all of Africa and, in particular, for Egypt. For a long time, this river was considered the longest in the world (about 6700 km), but now it has been established that the Amazon is longer. The Nile is unusual not only for its length, but also for its “behavior”. In the hottest months of the year, instead of drying up, like the numerous other bodies of water in this part of the world, it overflows its banks, overflowing, changing color and staining the flooded areas with the red color of the water.

The origin of the name of the river goes back centuries, at a time when the birth of world civilizations was just taking place. The word “Nile” is derived from the ancient Greek “Neilos”. The Greeks also called the river “Aegyptos”, from which, apparently, Egypt originated.

The role of the Nile for the formation and development of the ancient Egyptian civilization, which, along with the Sumerian, is considered the progenitor of all cultures, cannot be estimated. Egypt is the Nile. The rich flora and fauna of the river, a huge amount of silt that settles on the ground after the spill is only a small part of the gifts.

In ancient times, the world around us was fraught with many dangers: droughts, floods, death from animal attacks. A good relationship with nature had to be earned. So, the ancient Egyptians worshiped the Nile crocodile, the god Sebek. It was believed that the god with the head of a crocodile protects from the forces of darkness. In honor of him, temples were built, where specially decorated animals reigned, which, after death, were buried with great honors. The crocodiles left the Nile today. Moreover, these are one of the most ancient animals – a rarity in Africa as a whole.

Source and tributaries of the Nile

Since antiquity, it has remained a mystery where the river takes its waters from, which prompts it to fill the valley every year. Various suggestions have been made, but none of them has been conclusive. That is why for a long time in art the allegorical image of the Nile looked like a deity with a draped head, which symbolized ignorance.

At present, there is no single point of view regarding either the origins or the extent. It is known for sure that the Nile flows from the East African Plateau, the most remote point of which is considered the Kageru River, which flows into Lake Victoria.

Full water and spills are provided by tributaries. The most famous of them are the Blue and White Nile. The White Nile flows from Lake Victoria. It got its name because of the color of the water, which is colored by the clay suspensions contained in it. The Blue Nile originates from Lake Tan (Ethiopian highlands), and it is its waters that determine the entire volume of the Nile.

In Ethiopia, the Blue Nile is a sacred river that the locals worship and bring food as a gift.

The change in color of the Nile during the flood season is again caused by tributaries. Red is the mountain minerals contained in the water, traces of melted glaciers. Green color is a heritage of tropical vegetation.

Basin and Nile Valley

The Nile is huge. Traditionally, this river is associated only with Egypt, but a huge number of states are located in its basin: Kenya, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda. On the territory of Egypt is a little more than 20% of the Nile, the rest is other countries.

This small percentage created the Nile Valley, a kind of tourist oasis, a paradise for fans of archeology and history. Most of the major Egyptian cities, including the capital of Egypt and the largest city in Africa – Cairo, are located on the banks of the Nile. The valley stretches from the delta, where the river divides into channels and flows into the Mediterranean Sea, to the southern border with Sudan. In addition to cities, there are the most ancient and most famous cultural monuments, one of the most interesting museums: the pyramids of Giza, the Sphinx, the Luxor and Karnak Temples, the Valley of the Kings, the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.

Cruises on the Nile

For those who like to see everything at once, there are cruises on the Nile, popular among travelers as far back as the 19th century.

One of the most famous journeys along the Nile is described in the book by Agatha Christie with the awesome title “Death on the Nile”. This work clearly demonstrates the high degree of popularity of cruises among the wealthy segments of European society in the early 20th century. Many adaptations of the book have been made based on the book. So those who wish can easily get acquainted with the Egyptian flavor and even with the route of the Nile cruise, watching and reviewing their favorite movies.

Cities of the Nile

The main city of the Valley is Cairo. Its Old Town attracts a huge number of tourists. There is also a well-known museum that stores the largest number of objects of ancient Egyptian art in the world. In its southwestern suburb of Giza is one of the wonders of the world, the famous pyramid-tombs of the pharaohs Cheops, Khafre and Menkaure, created before our era. Not far from the pyramids is the Great Sphinx, with its nose broken off during the Napoleonic wars at the end of the 18th century. Memphis and Saqqara will please with a giant statue of Ramses, the Serapeum and an ancient cemetery.

The second largest city, but extremely important in importance, is Alexandria. This seaport was founded by Alexander the Great and is known primarily for its losses – the lighthouse, which is also one of the wonders of the world, and the legend of the Library of Alexandria.

Everyone has heard about Luxor and Thebes in one way or another: the temples of Karnak and Luxor, the Valley of the Queens and the Kings, the colossi of Memnon and the Ramesseum, the temple of Hatshepsut – all this is located here.

Aswan is home to a Nubian community and is home to a dam that has turned the Nile into an obedient river, allowing harvest up to three times a year. Cities with difficult-to-pronounce names of El Faiyum, Beni Mazar, El Minye will demonstrate how the representatives of the wealthy class live. Magnificent villas and a high standard of living – this is also Egypt.

Nile, Egypt