ABSTRACT
Since early civilization, urban Egypt and its delta have been indebted to the Nile and often been called the ‘gift of the Nile’, not only for the Nile's successive build-up of soil, but also through its provision of fertile farmland needed for enduring urban settlements. A source of inspiration, religious commitment, and social prominence, the Nile's shores were the site of Memphis and its pyramids as well as the location of Abu Simbel Temple in the south and the ancient port of Damietta in the North. The culture of living evolves in response to the river's dynamic nature of change; annual floods in the short term, or the change in its course, size and flow in the long term. Adaptation is, hence, a notion for living that allows for receptivity and flexibility, yet enforces a sense of ownership. Egyptians’ attachment to the river has been celebratory: the construction of the pyramids on its shore, the rise of medieval mosques to dominate its skyline, and the contemporary promenades overwhelmed by high-rise commercial towers. Ordinary Egyptian houses were, by contrast, situated at a considerable distance from the river until modern times. In describing the Nile, Herodotus asserted such influence:
The regulator and predictor of Egyptian life and the maker of a unique Egyptian culture. The Nile brought floods, which spoiled crops and caused droughts and famines. It also sustained the prosperity of the country …. The constant shifting of the Nile also determined the locations of the many different settlements that constituted Cairo throughout its history. (AlSayyad, 2011: 6)
