The Nile is Egypt’s central artery – for centuries it dictated the fine lines of life, defined those of death, and rewritten dreams of rebirth with each cycle. From antiquity, the Nile’s symbolism has hinged on the backbone of its importance, slowly cementing its existence as part of Egyptian experience. To many, Egypt exists only due to its river, but despite this romantic vision of agricultural prosperity and sustained aesthetic beauty, the Nile posed its own risks, its own fickle tendencies. Flooding has been cause for concern in Egypt since its founding. Prior to the conception of the Aswan High Dam in the 1960s, the Nile was prone to flooding annually, drowning fields, homes, and entire fragments of society in the process. While it would deposit necessary nutrients for the growth and sustenance of farmland, it would also directly cause food shortages and famine until the water’s inevitable retreat. Egyptians needed to find a solution – and they did. The vision of Nilometers was born: a mechanism that measured flood levels so that “dykes, levees, and canals could be prepared accordingly” in order to decrease subsequent damage. For nearly five…
