1940 Huge Arabic Irrigation Survey Map of the Nile w/ Extensive Annotations

A unique and striking cartographic production clocking in at over 30 feet long, this 'strip map' was prepared c. 1940 to catalog irrigation works along the Nile River for most of its course through Egypt, from Cairo to Aswan. It was made by (or for) the Egyptian Ministry of Public Works, with extensive annotations suggesting 'field use.'

A Closer Look

The map's enormous size translates to molecular detail of the course of the Nile from Cairo to the just south of Aswan, where today Lake Nasser is located. The minute detail includes canals, ditches, dams, and other waterways used primarily for agricultural purposes. Cities, villages, markets, and even individual structures are labeled. A profusion of information on elevation, depths of waters (on Lake Qarun), infrastructure (roads, railways, paths), vegetation, terrain, and other features is provided. The map is constructed from Survey of Egypt maps that have been modified and laid on linen in a series of folding maps to 'straighten out' the river (which flows southwest below Cairo before turning southeast towards Aswan, including some dramatic twists between Asyut and Luxor), with a portion jutting out near top for the Faiyum Oasis, producing a document more easily employed by engineers and planners. The images above display the map in its entirety and in large sections, with the last three images providing a closer look at relatively small sections to allow an appreciation of the tremendous amount of information contained.

A range of manuscript annotations in Arabic provide information on both the state of irrigation along the Nile and the aims of the engineers compiling the map. Pastedowns in grey display reports of various districts in table form tracking irrigation channels, basins, and other bodies of water, along with measurements of their width and depth, flow, drainage, and so on. Red overprinting lists a series of notes relating to irrigation projects, including bridges, water pumps, and 'requests' (طلبات, especially towards the bottom, where existing irrigation channels were minimal), with their elevation and other measurements noted (restated in black overprinting). Water pumps and other projects are planned out in schematics in the margins. Dark pink overprinting provides numbers (likely width in meters) all along the course of the Nile. At various points, the number of feddans (فدان, roughly 1.038 acres) available or to be made available by a proposed irrigation work is noted. In some places, the Latin letter 'F' (likely meaning feddans) is followed by a number in Western numerals. Hand-colored outlines mark out pieces of land, many numbered in black text, while additional annotations in pencil provide information on the names and nature of different elements of the existing and planned irrigation system.

Irrigating Egypt

Attempts to irrigate using the waters of the Nile date far into antiquity and help to explain the rise of such an advanced and long-lived civilization in Egypt at such an early date. For most of history, a method of basin irrigation was used, in which a field surrounded by embankments was allowed to flood with silt-rich water from the Nile and then drained after the silt had settled. Such basins (حوض) can be seen here, and this method, with some modern adaptations, is still used today. Over many centuries, a range of methods and tools to direct and move water were added, including canals, aqueducts, dams, waterwheels (ناعورة), and underground channels (قناة), all of which are evident here. These methods were typically adequate for food production as long as the canals and other works were maintained but were reliant on the annual flooding of the river. Beginning in the 19th century, a series of governments sought to utilize modern engineering to expand the water supply to cultivate new land, plant new types of crops, and utilize the waters of the Nile throughout the year.

These efforts began under the reformist administration established in the early 19th century by Muhammed Ali Pasha, who hired French engineers to build three large canals, one in Suez (to facilitate the construction of the Suez Canal), one to provide drinking water to Alexandria, and one parallel to the Nile south of Cairo. A series of barrages were also built, mostly in the Nile Delta, to improve irrigation and navigation along the network of waterways spreading out from the Lower Nile. Although ambitious, many of these projects took decades to complete, were costly, and prone to cracks and potential failure. As a result, following the British occupation of Egypt (1882), many cofferdams were constructed to shore up existing works, and, in some cases, projects had to be rebuilt from scratch.

However, British engineers were not content to simply maintain earlier hydrological infrastructure. Instead, some of the most promising engineers in the British Empire, many of whom had already worked on projects in India, sought to reshape the hydrological landscape of Egypt. These efforts were prompted by a desire to expand Egypt's economy by boosting agriculture (especially cash crops like cotton and sugar) as well as concerns about feeding the country's growing population. Mechanical water pumps were installed, additional barrages and canals were built, and a massive dam was erected south of Aswan (discussed below). The influence of this British building spree lasted for many years, even after the Ministry of Public Works, like most Egyptian governing bodies, was handed over to Egyptian bureaucrats when the British occupation ended in 1922. A new generation of engineers, strongly influenced by the British but motivated by nationalism, picked up the challenge of most effectively managing the waters of the Nile. An emblematic figure in this vein is Othman Muharram (1881 - 1958; عثمان محرم), who served as Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation for most of the period 1924 - 1952. (his life and work were chronicled in the 2004 book Othman Muharram: Architect of the Egyptian Liberal Era, 1924 - 1952 عثمان محرم : مهندس الحقبة الليبرالية المصرية، 1952-1924 by Muhammed al-Jawadi.) The many projects launched in the Interwar Period did not immediately bear fruit, and the number of feddans under cultivation barely increased during the 1920s and 1930s. However, agricultural production did rise due to a rapidly growing agricultural workforce and extensive use of chemical fertilizers. It is worth noting that the plans laid out on this map may not have come to fruition - at least not before Egyptian independence in 1952 - due to interruptions caused by the Second World War.

Damming the Nile

One of the most notable features on this map is the Aswan Low Dam (خزان اسوان), appearing south of its namesake city at bottom here, built by the British between 1899 - 1902 at what was hitherto the first cataract of the Nile. It was a wildly ambitious undertaking and a major engineering marvel of its time. It was the largest masonry dam in the world, stretching nearly 2,000 meters across and standing 36 meters tall. It was raised twice, in 1907 - 1912 and 1929 - 1933, to provide more storage capacity, but this was still inadequate to manage the seasonal flooding of the Nile. Therefore, when Egypt gained independence in 1952, it was a priority for the new regime, led by Gamal Abdel Nasser, to build a new, taller dam that could also provide hydroelectricity. Completed in 1970 with Soviet assistance, the Aswan High Dam, just upriver (south) of the earlier dam, constituted the tallest earthen dam in the world and remains a critical piece of Egypt's modern economy.

Publication History and Census

Although not indicated as such, this survey was almost certainly prepared by the Ministry of Public Works, using Arabic-language Survey of Egypt maps as a base, to which pastedowns and extensive annotations were added. It is undated, but the Survey of Egypt publication information on several sheets is partially visible, indicating updated editions as late as 1938. The entire 30-foot-long work is divided into multiple sections consisting of several sheets aligned consecutively and laid on linen for folding. As an aggregated work with many manuscript annotations, it is a unique cartographic production and an unparalleled opportunity for collectors and institutions interested in Egypt, hydrology, infrastructure, and modern bureaucratic governance.