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Article: Idea of renewal infused the lives of the ancient Egyptians.(TRAVEL)
- Article from:
- Star Tribune (Minneapolis, MN)
- Article date:
- March 24, 1996
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1996 Star Tribune Co. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Egypt's river has always been the center of things in this nearly rainless place - a brilliant blue artery whose annual pulsing brought life to the people on its banks.
The effect of the water shows vividly from the air: first, mile on mile of swirling golden sand and black rock, then a sudden streak of green, with a long seam of glittering blue running up the middle - the Nile.
For all the centuries before the Aswan Dam was finished in 1971, the Nile rose as if by magic every summer, flooding the fields with silt-laden water. Before it subsided in the fall, Egyptian farmers would have teased it into a maze of ponds and irrigation canals.
The ...