This was another strange part of the trip where we weren’t
sure what to think of our tour guide. She
took us to Aswan Dam to take pictures and be tourists but there were signs
everywhere that said no pictures. After
a few minutes of us taking pictures guards came and yelled at the group. Another great moment brought to you by our
awful tour guide (who was fired after this trip due to several huge
problems).
The Aswan Dam was built between 1898 and 1902 to provide
power and control the flow of water enabling Egypt to increase agriculture
output. The first dam proved to be too
small and was unable to handle the Nile and its unpredictable flooding. The solution was to construct the High Dam between
1960 and 1971, which created Lake Nasser.
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| Lake Nasser, Egypt looks just like Pyramid Lake, Nevada, USA |
The new dam has increased agriculture production and the
hydroelectricity has greatly benefited Egypt.
There have also been some consequences though. The dam flooded many areas that had ancient monuments. The change in water flow also changed the way
silt moved and was deposited on river bank farmland. Since the silt now stays in Lake Nasser and is no
longer deposited on the Delta, the farmers there have to use chemicals rather
than the old silt deposits for farming.
After seeing Aswan Dam we went to a granite quarry. At the granite quarry we were able to see a
huge cracked obelisk that showed how the stone was carved out of the rock.
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| Aswan Airport |
After that part of the trip we went back to
Aswan airport for a short flight back to Cairo.
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