The Egyptian Land and Nile
The Land & The Nile
Egypt is generally thought of as a dry , barren place full of sand
and no water .
This is not entirely true , as the longest river in the world flows
through it , bringing nutrients to the soil , and moistening the
land around it .
The river ‘Nile’ , apart from being the longest river in the world
, is also the most important river in the world , according to the
ancient Egyptians .
Every year , the Nile flooded (and still does) , at almost exactly
the same time of year , 15th July . In Aswan it would rise about
10 metres , in Delta , quite a bit less .
Apart from what you may be thinking , that the water is what
the Egyptians use from the Nile , the Nile is actually most
important to the Egyptians because it covered the sandy field ,
in thick mud , in which Egyptians grew their food .
They called this the ‘Black Land’ and further beyond that , the
‘Red Land’ , which was barren desert .
Though the Nile was both the Egyptians friend , and foe .
If it rose too much , it would sweep away their houses , and
destroy their crops , then there would not be enough food left to
feed everyone .
In the marshes lotus flowers were picked to make perfume ,
vegetables and ducks were gathered for food , and papyrus was
collected to make boats , paper , rope , sandals , and many
different baskets .
The Nile also provided a great means of transport .
People would row , or drift up the Nile , and it’s canals , in their
boats , which were made of wood if they were large , or papyrus
if they were smaller .
Egyptians could move great stone blocks in their boats , which
is a popular idea of how huge stone rocks , were transported to
the pyramids .
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