The Nile River - Seascape photography of the artery of Egypt

The Nile is the longest river in Africa and some consider it to be the longest in the world. The geography of the river was integrated with ancient Egyptian religion and influenced many aspects of society. Unlike the Tigris and Euphrates in Mesopotamia, two rivers which needed to be controlled because of their unpredictable nature, the Nile experiences a rise in mid-July and fall in September, which gives the Egyptians a trusted source of nourishment for vegetation over the year.

Ma’at, the principle of balance in Egyptian religion was merged with the way the Egyptians saw and experienced the Nile. They came to believe there was divine intervention which caused the river’s annual floods and deposited the fertile black soil along the arid banks.

The first cataract of the Nile, is located at Aswan, southern Egypt, and is considered the tourist route. Along this part of the river one can see cruise ships and traditional wooden sailing boats. These types of boats are known as feluccas and are also used in other parts of North Africa and the eastern Mediterranean.

In the ancient days, large wooden ships were used to transport massive blocks of stone from southern Egypt as far as the northern Delta area in order to build the pyramids and temples of the land.

The following photo is of the temple of Isis at Philae in southern Egypt, located on Agilkia Island along the river.