The reservoir at Aswan Dam. South of Aswan, Egypt

"The yearly flood of the Nile is caused by late summer rains in the plateau region of Ethiopia, which in turn swell the tributaries of the Nile. At the peak of the flood, the volume of the river's flow increases by as much as sixteenfold. Variable amounts of rainfall to Ethiopia cause stunning differences in the amount of flooding seen farther down the course of the Nile. Constructed of granite, the first dam at Aswan was built between 1899 and 1902. It trapped enough water from the annual flood to irrigate the land for second and even third crops at low water season. Once perenial irrigation was introduced, floods became a serious problem. This in fact occured in 1927, 1946, and 1964. The dam's effectiveness fell short of expectations, and it was raised several times. The river, heavily laden with life-giving minerals, was allowed to flow through sluices that were regulated by means of vertical gates. Anyway, the Aswan dam did prove inadequate to meet the growing electrical needs of the country, it also failed to solve the age-old problem of flood control. it could not store sufficient water to offset fat years against lean." [Kamil Jill, 1993: Aswan and Abu Simbel, History and Guide. The American University in Cairo Press]. This photograph was taken when Eliot Elisofon was working on "The Nile" project and traveled to Africa from March 14, 1961 to March 31, 1961, visiting Egypt.