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A nilometer was a structure for measuring the Nile River’s clarity and water level during the annual flood season. There were three main types of nilometers, calibrated in Egyptian cubits: (1) a vertical column, (2) a corridor stairway of steps leading down to the Nile, or (3) a deep well with culvert.
So, long before the Aswan Dam was constructed to manage the flooding of the great river, Egyptians invented an instrument to measure the waters in order to predict the Nile’s behavior: the nilometer. There were three kinds of nilometers, and examples of all three can still be seen around Egypt.
John Hanning Speke
John Hanning Speke discovered the source of the Nile on August 3rd, 1858. John Hanning Speke, an army officer’s son from the West Country, was commissioned into the army of the East India Company in 1844 at the age of seventeen.
In 2006 an expedition of the Nile was undertaken and with the aid of hi-tech mapping equipment it was determined that the Nile measures 4,175 miles long, or 6,719 kilometres.
The sacred waters of the Nile characterized every important aspect of Egyptian civilization. Flowing downward into the Mediterranean Sea, Africa’s longest river becomes one great water source at the ancient city of Khartoum where the Blue Nile and the White Nile merge.
The White Nile originates in sub-tropical Africa at Lake Victoria. Ancient Egyptians developed highly complex irrigation methods to maximize the effect of the Nile waters. When the Nile overflowed in mid summer, Egyptians diverted the waters through the use of canals and dams.
In addition, routine annual flooding no longer occurs along parts of the Nile. These floods were necessary to flush and clean the water of human and agricultural waste. As a result, the water is becoming more polluted. The Nile River also continues to be an important trade route, connecting Africa with markets in Europe and beyond.