Last Updated: November 09, 2023, 12:29 IST
It is considered the oldest largest-scale dam in the world.
The dam was unfortunately destroyed by a flood before it could be completed and was later rediscovered 140 years ago.
Approximately 40 kilometres southeast of Cairo, near the town of Helwan, lies a significant embankment dam that dates back around 3,700 years. The Sadd-el-Kafara ruins are situated in this area, and the dam served a vital purpose in managing the waters stemming from sudden storms and heavy floods. Additionally, it played a dual role, providing water to labourers and animals engaged in mining stone and marble for the construction of nearby pyramids and temples. Regrettably, the dam was destroyed by a flood before its completion, but its historical significance has endured, and it was rediscovered 140 years ago. Today, it is recognised as the world’s oldest large-scale dam.
Situated in the Wadi Garawi, one of the many wadis in the arid expanse east of the Nile Valley, the dam occupies the narrowest section of the Garawi ravine, which measures approximately 100 meters in width.
An Egyptologist previously shared a series of images of Sadd el-Kafara on X (formerly Twitter), and these images have resurfaced on the internet. They reveal the expansive desert terrain, scattered with the remnants of the ancient dam. The user captioned the tweet, “Went to explore Sadd el-Kafara, the remains of a dam built in a wadi east of Helwan during the 3rd or 4th dynasty of ancient Egypt’s old kingdom and may be related to the construction of the pyramids in Dahshur.”
The Egyptologist also noted that a significant highway is under construction in the Wadi, but it currently does not impact the dam’s ruins.
Legends surrounding Sadd el-Kafara suggest that the dam’s construction was aimed at protecting the lower Wadi Garawi from floods and safeguarding the likely settlements near the Nile Valley.
The discovery of this ancient dam dates back to 1885 when the German archaeologist Georg Schweinfurth stumbled upon it. Notably, the missing mid-section of the dam exposed a cross-section, enabling archaeologists to study its construction in detail. The sides of the dam are said to be in remarkably well-preserved condition.
