Aswan High Dam

Egypt is mostly desert. Only 3.6% of the land can be used to grow crops. But during the rainy season there used to be serious flooding. So a dam was built on the River Nile at Aswan. In the rainy season when the Nile is full the dam holds some of the water back to prevent flooding. Then in the dry season the ester is released and used for irrigation. The River Nile basin holds many treasures from ancient Egypt.The construction of the Aswan High Dam thretened the survival of some of them. A man-made lake 375 miles (600 km) long was formed when the dam was built. Two temples at Abu Simbel would have been covered by the waters of this lake. These temples date from the reign of Ramses II in the 13th century B.C. and are of immense cultural importance. But under the supervision of the United nations Educational and Scientific Organization they were moved to higher ground.