Aswan Dam

The Aswan High Dam is a large embankment and concrete dam across the Nile at Aswan in southern Egypt, completed in 1970. It was built primarily to control annual Nile floods, provide water storage for irrigation, and generate hydroelectric power.

The dam transformed river management on the Nile by creating Lake Nasser, a large reservoir that extends south into Sudan, and by stabilizing flow for year-round irrigation. The hydroelectric plant supplies a substantial share of Egypt’s electricity needs and the structure is a prominent piece of mid-20th-century infrastructure on the Nile.

Construction took place from 1960 to 1970 with major technical and financial assistance from the Soviet Union; the project replaced earlier low-dam works at Aswan and required the relocation of some archaeological sites and local populations. Several famous monuments, including Abu Simbel, were relocated to avoid flooding from the reservoir under international archaeological campaigns.

The dam is located at the city of Aswan on the Nile in southern Egypt, just north of the Sudanese border and adjacent to road and rail links that connect Upper Egypt with the Nile Valley.

• Construction dates: The dam was constructed between 1960 and 1970 with major Soviet technical and financial assistance and was formally completed in 1970.
• Size and reservoir: The dam is about 111 meters high and roughly 3,830 meters long, and it created Lake Nasser, a reservoir that extends for hundreds of kilometers.

What to See#

• High Dam structure: The concrete-gravity structure includes the hydropower complex and sluice works that regulate Nile flow and generate electricity.
• Lake Nasser: Lake Nasser is the reservoir created by the dam, extending south into Sudan and storing floodwater behind the dam.

The dam sits about 13 kilometers south of Aswan city center on the west bank of the Nile. From Aswan, take a taxi or hired car along Corniche Road and the Aswan-Kom Ombo Road; the drive is roughly 20-30 minutes depending on traffic. Aswan is served by Aswan International Airport (ASW) with domestic flights to Cairo and Luxor.

• Arrive at sunrise or late afternoon for the best light on the dam's massive concrete face and the Nile's reservoir.
• Hire a licensed guide if attempting to visit restricted operational areas; security is tight and access varies.
• Combine a visit to the High Dam with the nearby Nubian Museum (Aswan) to understand the social cost of the project.