The Nile is associated with many gods and goddesses, all of whom the Egyptians believed were deeply intertwined with the blessings and curses of the land, weather, culture and abundance of the people. They believed the gods were intimately involved with the people and could help them in all facets of their lives. In some myths, the Nile was considered a manifestation of the god Hapi who blessed the land with abundance, according to the Ancient History Encyclopedia.
Isis, the goddess of the Nile and the "Giver of Life," was believed to have taught the people how to farm and work the land. The water god Khnum, who ruled over all forms of water, even the lakes and rivers in the underworld, was believed to be in charge of the amount of silt that flooded the river banks every year.
In later dynasties, Khnum branched out to become the god of rebirth and creation as well. Each year, heavy summer rains upstream and melting snow in the Ethiopian Mountains would fill the Blue Nile well over its capacity and send a torrent of water downstream. The extra water would then spill over the banks onto the dry desert land of Egypt. Once the floods subsided, thick black silt, or mud, would be left behind on the ground.
The silt created rich, fertile soil for planting crops — vital in this land of so little rain. Approximately 96 percent of the sediment carried by the Nile River originates in Ethiopia, according to the New World Encyclopedia.
The silt area was known as the Black Land, while the desert lands further out were known as the Red Land. Each year, the Ancient Egyptian people eagerly awaited and thanked the gods for the life-giving floods. If the floods were too small, there would be difficult times ahead with little food.
If the floods were too large, it could cause flooding harm in the surrounding villages. The Egyptian calendar was divided into three stages based on the yearly flood cycle: Akhet, the first season of the year, which covered the flooding period between June and September; Peret, the growing and sowing time from October to mid-February; and Shemu, the time of harvesting between mid-February and the end of May.
Although the floods were desperately needed in older times, they are less necessary and even a nuisance to modern civilization with its irrigation systems.
Even though the floods no longer occur along the Nile, the memory of this fertile blessing is still celebrated in Egypt today, mainly as an entertainment for tourists. The annual celebration, known as Wafaa El-Nil, begins on August 15th and lasts for two weeks. Because 11 countries must share one precious resource, there are bound to be disputes. It offers a forum for discussion and coordination among the countries to help manage and share the river's resources.
Joseph Awange is an associate professor in the department of spatial sciences at Curtin University in Australia. Using satellites, he has been monitoring the volume of water in the Nile River and reporting the findings to the Basin countries so they can effectively plan for sustainable use of the river's resources. Of course, getting all the countries to agree on what they believe is fair and equal use of the Nile's resources is no easy task.
It is located just over miles northwest of Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa. When complete, the GERD will be the largest hydroelectric dam in Africa and one of the largest in the world. Egyptologist was focused entirely on that extremely brief period when the young Menelik had worked as a dragoman one winter in Cairo , in order to support himself while beginning his study of hieroglyphs.
The flotilla thus unprotected fell in with seven Turkish gunboats coming from Cairo , and was exposed simultaneously to their fire and to that of the Mamelukes, fellahs, and Arabs who lined both banks of the river.
But as I left Cairo in the greatening distance, floating onward to the heart of the mysterious river, I floated also into the twin current of thought, that, flowing full and impetuous from the shores of the peopled Mediterranean, follows the silent river, and tracks it to its hidden lurking-place in the blank desert. Several large caravans of merchants, bringing their wares from Baghdad and Cairo , were passing into the city at the time they arrived, and he and Hakeem fell in beside the hustle of camels flowing into the city.
He conquered Egypt and assumed the prerogative of the Imaum, which had been a shadow at Cairo , but became, at Constantinople, the supreme authority in Islam. She knew only that he had some quietly confidential role in the defense ministry which he never talked about, that he worked extremely long hours week after week and year after year, that he seemed conversant with everything under the sun, that he was often impish and playful and given to droll merriment, that he loved to laugh and was easily moved to tears, that he ate huge quantities of raw vegetables and fruit and leban with enormous gusto, that he revered the soups she had learned to make as a girl in Cairo , and that no matter how busy he might be he was always there if she needed him, with encouragement and strength and wisdom, with kind words and thoughtful smiles.
Search for crossword answers and clues Word. Letter count Letter count 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Nile capital. Usage examples of cairo. Cairo smiled and examined the backs of his untouched, downfaced cards.
0コメント