Cataracts of the Nile

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The six cataracts of the Nile

First Cataract

Second cataract in 1854 by John Beasley Greene

Third Cataract

Fourth Cataract

Sixth Cataract
The cataracts of the Nile are shallow lengths (or white water rapids) of the Nile
River, between Aswan and Khartoum, where the surface of the water is broken by many
small boulders and stones jutting out of the river bed, as well as many rocky
islets. In some places, these stretches are punctuated by whitewater, while at
others the water flow is smoother, but still shallow.

Contents [hide]
1 Six cataracts
2 Characteristics
3 Notes
4 External links
Six cataracts[edit]
Counted going upstream (from north to south)

In Egypt
The First Cataract cuts through Aswan (24.078N 32.878E). Its former location was
selected for the construction of Aswan Low Dam, the first dam built across the
Nile.
In Sudan
The Second Cataract (or Great Cataract) was in Nubia and is now submerged under
Lake Nasser. (21.48N 30.97E)
The Third Cataract is around TombosHannek. (19.76N 30.37E)
The Fourth Cataract was in the Manasir Desert, and since 2008, is submerged under
the reservoir of Merowe Dam. (18.91N 32.36E)
The Fifth Cataract is near the confluence of the Nile and Atbarah Rivers. (17.677N
33.970E)
The Sixth Cataract is where the Nile cuts through the Sabaluka pluton, close to
Bagrawiyah. (16.288N 32.671E)
Characteristics[edit]
The word cataract is a Greek word ?at?d??pa literally meaning down-rushing, rapids,
floodgate or waterfall. However, none of the Nile's six primary cataracts could be
accurately described as waterfalls, and given a broader definition, this is the
same with many of the minor cataracts. Geologists indicate that the region of the
northern Sudan is tectonically active and this activity has caused the river to
take on youthful characteristics.[1] The Nubian Swell has diverted the river's
course to the west, while keeping its depth shallow and causing the formation of
the cataracts. Even as the river bed is worn down by erosion, the land mass is
lifted, keeping parts of the river bed exposed. These distinctive features of the
river between Aswan and Khartoum have led to the stretch being often referred to as
the Cataract Nile, while the downstream portion is occasionally referred to as the
Egyptian Nile. The geological distinction between these two portions of the river
is considerable. North of Aswan, the river bed is not rocky, but is instead
composed of sediment, and far from being a shallow river, it is believed[2] that
the bedrock was previously eroded to be several thousand feet deep. This created a
vast canyon that is now filled by the sediment, some of which originated from the
Mediterranean. For more information, see the Eonile as well as the Messinian
salinity crisis.

Despite these characteristics, some of the cataracts which are normally impassable
by boat because of the shallow water have become navigable during the flood season.

In ancient times, Upper Egypt extended from south of the Nile Delta to the first
cataract, while further upstream, the land was controlled by the ancient Kingdom of
Kush that would later take over Egypt from 760 to 656 BC.[3]

Eratosthenes gave a precise description of the Cataract-Nile It has a similar

shape to a backwards letter N. It flows northward from Mero about 2700 stadia,
then turns back to the south and the winter sunset for about 3700 stadia, and it
almost reaches the same parallel as the Mero region and makes its way far into
Libya. Then it makes another turn, and flows northward 5300 stadia to the great
cataract, curving slightly to the east; then 1200 stadia to the smaller cataract at
Syene (i.e. Aswan), and then 5300 more to the sea..[4]

The six cataracts of the Nile are depicted extensively by European visitors,
notably by Winston Churchill in The River War (1899), where he recounts the
exploits of the British trying to return to the Sudan between 1896 and 1898, after
they were forced to leave in 1885.

Notes[edit]
Jump up ^ Thurmond, A.K., et al. (2004). The Nubian Swell, Journal of African Earth
Sciences 39 pp. 401-407. [1] (accessed 21 October 2006)
Jump up ^ Warren, John (2006). EvaporitesSediments, Resources and Hydrocarbons.
Berlin Springer. p. 352. ISBN 3-540-26011-0.
Jump up ^ Cataracts of the Nile. Fummo.com. Archived from the original on 17
February 2010. Retrieved 17 February 2014. from archive.org
Jump up ^ as per Strabos Geographika book XVII
External links[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cataracts of the Nile, Nile in Aswan
and Nile in Sudan.
The Cataract Nile and the Great Bend
The 1905-1907 Breasted Expeditions to Egypt and the Sudan A Photographic Study -
See also related photos listed under index Nile, Third Cataract; and Nile, Fourth
Cataract.
Cataract photos links
First Cataract
Second Cataract & Second Cataract
Third Cataract & Third Cataract & Third Cataract
Fifth Cataract