The Aswan High Dam Tames the Nile
A Soviet-financed dam ends the river's yearly flood and powers Nasser's vision of a modern Egypt
Quick facts
- Construction began
- 1960
- Completed
- 21 July 1970
- Financing
- Soviet loans, after US and Britain withdrew in 1956
- Reservoir
- Lake Nasser
What happened
In the 1950s Gamal Abdel Nasser set out to build a new dam across the Nile at Aswan large enough to end the river's annual flooding and bring electric power to the whole country. He won initial financial backing from the United States and Britain, but in July 1956 both nations withdrew their offer after learning of a secret Egyptian arms deal with the Soviet bloc, a withdrawal that triggered Nasser's nationalization of the Suez Canal. Soviet loans and revenue from Suez Canal tolls then allowed Nasser to begin construction in 1960, and the Aswan High Dam was completed on 21 July 1970. The dam created Lake Nasser, one of the largest reservoirs in the world, ended the Nile's devastating floods, reclaimed and irrigated hundreds of thousands of acres of farmland, and generated billions of kilowatt-hours of electricity a year. Its reservoir also forced the resettlement of tens of thousands of Nubians and the relocation of ancient temples that would otherwise have been drowned.
Why it matters
The Aswan High Dam was the defining infrastructure project of Nasser's Egypt, ending the flood-and-drought cycle that had governed Egyptian agriculture since the age of the pharaohs and turning the Nile into a controlled source of power and irrigation. The dispute over its funding pulled Egypt decisively into the Soviet orbit during the Cold War and set off the chain of events that led to the 1956 Suez Crisis.
How we know
The dam's history, from the withdrawal of Western funding to Soviet financing and its completion in 1970, is documented by History, and its purpose and the creation of Lake Nasser are independently documented by National Geographic Education.
Sources
- History (A&E Television Networks). Aswan High Dam completed · Reputable sourcehistory.com · The domain "history.com" is on our Reputable source registry. · Link is live and its text matches the event's key terms (Jul 2026)
- National Geographic Education. Aswan Dam Completed · General sourceeducation.nationalgeographic.org · Cited as a "reference" source (no stronger domain match). · Link is live and its text matches the event's key terms (Jul 2026)
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