1940 al-Karmi Arabic Manuscript Map of the Nile River

Damming the Nile.

This is a very large-format c. 1940 Arabic-language manuscript map of the Nile River in the Aswan Governorate. Although its intentions are not directly stated, it coincides with a period when damming the Nile, harnessing its power, and irrigating its waters were major concerns for the Egyptian government and its British overseers.

A Closer Look

This map follows the Nile River and its immediate surroundings in the Edfu and Aswan Centers (مراكز), mid-level administrations akin to a county, within the Aswan Governorate (محافظة أسوان). Coverage extends from Komir (كومير), near top, at the border of the Luxor Governorate, to the area south of the city of Aswan (أسوان), much of which is now submerged as part of Lake Nasser. Cities, towns, villages, islands, hills (with elevation noted), and other features are labelled throughout. Red lines denote roads, including one atop the Aswan Low Dam (discussed below). One of the roads indicated is the northern portion of the never-completed Cape to Cairo Railway, with stations at Edfu (on the east bank of the Nile, connected to the city by ferry) and Aswan. Green indicates areas of cultivation and blue is used to shade the Nile itself. Dashed lines are used to signify wadi, seasonal rivers and dry riverbeds, while canals are also traced with double lines, such as the Castle Canal (ترعة كاسل) along the east side of the large cultivated area near center. Notes appear throughout, mostly relating to waterways and water management, such as a comment just south of the Castle Canal referring to arable land planned for the establishment of additional canals.

Damming the Nile

One of the most notable features on this map is the Aswan Low Dam, appearing just south of its namesake city towards bottom here, built by the British between 1899 - 1902 at what was hitherto the first cataract of the Nile. It was a wildly ambitious undertaking and a major engineering marvel of its time, the largest masonry dam in the world, stretching nearly 2,000 meters across and standing 36 meters tall. It was raised twice, in 1907 - 1912 and 1929 - 1933, to provide more storage capacity, but this was still inadequate to manage the seasonal flooding of the Nile. Therefore, when Egypt gained independence in 1952, it was a priority for the new regime, led by Gamal Abdel Nasser, to build a new, taller dam, and one that could also provide hydroelectricity to boot. Completed in 1970 with Soviet assistance, the Aswan High Dam, just upriver (south) of the earlier dam, constituted the tallest earthen dam in the world and remains a critical piece of Egypt's modern economy.

Publication History and Census

This manuscript map was likely produced by the Ministry of Public Works around the year 1940 and was related to management of the Nile and its waters, a primary objective of the Egyptian government at the time (see our NileIrrigation-arabic-1940, an even larger contemporary manuscript map, for comparison). It is signed by an engineer, whose signature appears to read Abdel Fattah (عبد الفتاح) or Abdel Ghaffar (عبد الغفار) al-Karmi (or Karimi, الكارمي). As a manuscript map, it is an entirely unique work.

Condition

Very good.