Posted on 03/02/2015 6:57:05 AM PST by SunkenCiv
About forty kilometres south of Cairo, close to the town of Helwan, lie the ruins of the Sadd-el-Kafara ( = "dam of the Pagans"), an embankment dam of great size built around 2700-2600 BC, discovered over 100 years ago in the old, deep and dry Garawi ravine. The masonry-faced earthen dam originally measured 14 m height and 113 m length along the crest and is considered today the oldest dam of such size known in the world.
The primal aim of the dam was to retain the water from rare but violent floods. It could also ensure water to workers and animals working in exploration of stone and marble in the nearby quarries, for the construction of the pyramids and the temples. Never completed, the dam had been under construction for 10-12 years before being destroyed by a flood. It was rediscovered by Georg Schweinfurth in 1885.
Its great size indicates the dam engineers were not doing experimental work, but they built it in a very systematic way. Its construction took place in the era when the Egyptian kings built their pyramids on the other bank of River Nile. There exist similarities between the stone walls of the pyramids and the dam. And still there are many questions that revolve around Garawi valley Dam.
Strangely, despite its importance, and the fact that it remains intact today, the dam is ignored by tourist agencies. Even visitors interested in archaeology of Egypt do not usually include it in their plan of visits. Moreover, although the dam has been discovered already since the late 19th century, it has not been adequately studied yet.
(Excerpt) Read more at hydriaproject.net ...
Remarkably, at least two Roman dams in southwestern Spain, Proserpina and Cornalvo, are still in use, roughly 1900 years after their construction! The Proserpina Dam, 22 m high, has a masonry-faced core wall of concrete backed by earth; it may be regarded therefore as a forerunner of the modern earthen dam. The Proserpina is strengthened on the upstream face by buttresses. Its purpose was to supply water for industrial use. The Cornalvo dam was 24 m high, which also made it the highest Roman dam outside of Italy. Cornalvo also show[s] advancement in design: its masonry wall was constructed of cells, which were filled with stones or clay, and faced with mortar. It was built in order to provide drinking water. [Cracking Dams: Embankment Dams]
Dam!
http://structurae.net/structures/sadd-el-kafara-dam
http://www.google.com/search?q=Sadd-el-Kafara&btnG=Search
images:
http://www.google.com/search?q=Sadd-el-Kafara&btnG=Search&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&tbm=isch
What is is Sadd about? Because it’s soooooo old?.................
The most interesting topic by a dam site!
dam those pagans!
Seriously...this is very interesting, but I can’t help myself.
It’s humbling, isn’t it? Thousands of years ago dams, roads and buildings were constructed that still stand, some still in use. Modern technology has trouble constructing anything that lasts more than fifty years.
Bagnel Dam here at Lake of the Ozarks was built in 1930.
There are plenty of examples in the US of old construction that holds up just fine. In Cleveland, many of those old buildings (1940 and earlier) are wonderful, sturdy and have excellent craftsmanship and construction materials. So many of them have been torn down for ill-conceived construction projects.
A few years ago we were driving down a road in the Hudson Valley area of NY and as we rounded a bend there was a large dame at our 12:00. I pointed and let out a loud “DAM!”
My teens were shocked because they have never heard me cuss. They looked where I was pointing, saw the dam and laughed/giggled for the next 5 minutes.
Yes indeed.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Roman_Cornalvo_dam,_Extremadura,_Spain._Pic_01.jpg
And Sri Lankans built 12,000 dams:
http://www.mysrilankaholidays.com/ancient-sinhalese-irrigation.html
When was the old Marib dam in Yemen built, the one the moslems allowed to fall to pieces and be destroyed.
William Mulholland must not have studied these when he designed the St. Francis dam, a couple of the Roman dams are still in use today.
I know Cleveland pretty well.
Three of my old steamship customers were located there...
Those Ancient Egyptians were pretty smart. In a place that needs water its only logical that they would perfect a dam, canals and ways to save water.
Just dam.
This is the best dam thread ive seen in a long time.
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