Aswan High Dam and the reshaped Nile at Assuan

Aswan High Dam above Assuan in southern Egypt turns a long reach of the Nile into Lake Nasser, creating a striking landscape of rock, river and reservoir.

Aswan High Dam above Assuan in southern Egypt is a vast rock-fill barrier on the Nile that reshapes the river into the wide waters of Lake Nasser. Completed in 1970 under President Gamal Abdel Nasser, it stands as one of the major twentieth-century engineering projects in Egypt’s Upper Nile valley.

A rock-fill wall across the Nile

Aswan High Dam spans the Nile just south of Assuan, in a stretch of river close to Egypt’s border with Sudan where the valley narrows between desert escarpments. It is a rock-fill embankment, formed from huge quantities of granite rock, sands and other materials compacted into a sloping mass that blocks and regulates the river at this point.rock-fill dam with a long crest The structure stands about 111 m (364 ft) above the riverbed and carries its crest for roughly 3,830 m (12,570 ft) between the flanks of the valley and into wings on both sides.111 m high and 3,830 m long

The base of the embankment is markedly wider than its crest, reaching around 980 m (3,220 ft) where it meets the foundations and narrowing towards the top where a roadway and guard rails run along the barrier.broad base and narrow crest From the crest the view shows the Nile confined on the downstream side and, upstream, the extensive reservoir of Lake Nasser stretching into the desert beyond Assuan.

Construction in the Nasser era

Plans for an enlarged Nile dam near Assuan were realised in the mid twentieth century as part of Egypt’s programme of water control and power generation under President Gamal Abdel Nasser. Construction on Aswan High Dam began in 1960, with Egyptian teams working alongside Soviet engineers on the large-scale earthworks and concrete structures.construction began in 1960 under Nasser The main body of the dam was finished by 1970 and formally inaugurated in 1971 during the presidency of Anwar Sadat, marking the completion of a decade-long project on the Nile.completed in 1970 and inaugurated in 1971

Aswan High Dam replaced the Aswan Low Dam of 1902, which stands downstream nearer the city and had proved insufficient for large-scale storage. The new dam rises several times higher and stretches much further across the valley than the earlier structure, creating a reservoir of a different order of magnitude.larger than the Aswan Low Dam The project formed part of a wider mid twentieth-century reshaping of Egypt’s relationship with the Nile in the era after independence.

Lake Nasser and the changed landscape

Upstream of Aswan High Dam the Nile broadens into Lake Nasser, an artificial lake extending through Egyptian Nubia and into Sudan. The reservoir reaches a maximum length of about 550 km (340 mi) and a maximum width of around 35 km (22 mi), with a surface area measured at roughly 5,250 km² (2,030 sq mi).Lake Nasser dimensions Its waters impound approximately 132 km³ (32 cu mi) of the Nile, forming a long ribbon of blue framed by pale desert plateaux.storage capacity of Lake Nasser

Standing on the crest road, the contrast between the narrow river channel below the dam and the expanse of Lake Nasser above it is one of the defining visual experiences of this part of Upper Egypt. The reservoir floods a succession of former Nile bends and side valleys, creating a shoreline of inlets and peninsulas against the desert. Below the dam, the Nile resumes its course towards Assuan past the older dam and onwards through Egypt’s cultivated regions.

Visiting Aswan High Dam: what travellers from Western Europe should know

• Aswan High Dam lies just south of Assuan in Upper Egypt, spanning the Nile River near the border with Sudan and forming the upstream reservoir of Lake Nasser. It is reached by road from Assuan, with a carriageway crossing the crest of the dam.
• The site sits in a desert valley with elevated views over the river and Lake Nasser. Surfaces near the crest are paved, while the surrounding terrain is rocky and exposed, with some areas involving short walks on uneven ground.
• The official language is Arabic and the currency is the Egyptian pound. Entry requirements depend on your nationality; UK travellers can check the FCDO travel advice at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, Irish travellers the Department of Foreign Affairs at ireland.ie.

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Frequently asked questions about Aswan High Dam

Where is Aswan High Dam located in relation to Assuan?

Aswan High Dam stands just south of Assuan in Upper Egypt, spanning the Nile near Egypt’s border with Sudan and forming the upstream extent of Lake Nasser.

What should a visitor expect when visiting Aswan High Dam?

Visitors encounter a broad rock-fill embankment with a roadway along its crest, elevated views over the confined Nile and the wide surface of Lake Nasser, and surrounding desert terrain.

What makes Aswan High Dam distinctive among Nile structures?

Aswan High Dam is distinctive as a twentieth-century rock-fill structure more than 3,800 m long and 111 m high that impounds the extensive reservoir known as Lake Nasser.