Aswan Dam

The construction period of the Aswan Dam lasted from 1960 to 1971. The objectives of the construction were on the one hand to generate electricity and to stockpile water for possible dry periods, and on the other hand to improve the irrigation of the surrounding fields and the navigability of the Nile. The enormous dam is over 3.8 km long and 111 m high, making it an impressive structure. The Lake Nasser with its enormous surface is one of the largest dams in the world.

But the construction of the dam also had disadvantages: Previously, the Nile and the annual floods had brought fertile mud to the fields for thousands of years, so that the inhabitants could cultivate the land. Now the farmers have to resort to artificial fertilization. Furthermore, not only 24 important buildings but also thousands of people had to be resettled. Around 400 construction workers had to pay for the construction of the dam with their lives.