Egypt is the gift of the Nile. If it were not for the Nile, Egypt would have been a barren desert with no crops or water. The Nile is the symbol of life for Egypt, the source of water and fertility for the land of Egypt, and the source of life for Egyptians. The Nile is the artery that connects the inhabitants of the Nile Valley and is their means of transportation, which helps them in cultural exchange. And culturally, between them, on both banks of the Nile, the two countries were united, cities and villages arose, and Egypt established the greatest and most ancient civilization known to mankind.
In the month of August every year, the “Nile Flood” would come, which constituted a great joy and celebration. The flood meant agriculture, greenery, and growth. The failure of the Nile to flood meant drought and poverty for the country, the arrival of famines and disasters, and instability of rule, such as what happened in the era of “King Suzer,” which lasted for seven years. Likewise, the seven lean years that the Holy Qur’an spoke about in the days of “our master Joseph” - peace be upon him - and that was due to the failure of the Nile to flood. Therefore, the ancient Egyptians decided, out of reverence for the Nile and its role in preserving life, to hold a celebration every year to pay tribute to the Nile’s bounty, and they called it “the Feast of the Nile’s Loyalty.” "
What is the Nile Loyalty Day?
The ancient Egyptians sanctified the Nile and called it (Hapi), meaning the giver of life, due to the goodness and development it did in the country and to preserve its flooding every year and the absence of drought and poverty. They held a celebration for it every year, made sacrifices to it, sang songs to it, and composed poems and chants to it in gratitude for His grace upon them, and even Its floods do not cease for them, and this celebration of the “Nile Fulfillment Day” continued in Islamic times, with some rituals being changed to suit the Islamic religion.
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The story of the Bride of the Nile:
On the Feast of the Nile’s Loyalty, the ancient Egyptians would throw the most beautiful girl into the Nile after decorating her with the most beautiful decorations as a form of gratitude for the thanks of the Nile and so that its flow would not be cut off from them. One day, there was no beautiful girl left except the king’s daughter, but the king had no children other than this girl and he was very attached to her. The nanny who was taking care of her was very attached to her, and in order not to lose her, she thought of a trick to do so that the king’s daughter would not be thrown into the Nile, so she made a wooden statue that looked exactly like the king’s daughter, and she decorated it and insisted on throwing it herself in order to offer it as an offering to the Nile. The king was deeply saddened until he fell ill, and then the nanny returned it to him. His daughter, and since that time, the ancient Egyptians began throwing wooden statues, not girls, and this is what archaeologists approved after a study in which they said that the Egyptian civilization was a sophisticated civilization that did not know how to sacrifice humans to please the gods. Likewise, the inscriptions and all the texts related to ancient Egypt did not mention any of them the story of the Bride of the Nile. .
The story of the Bride of the Nile, fact or fiction?!
Dr. Zahi Hawass, an archaeologist, said that the story of the Bride of the Nile is a symbolic story that did not occur at all in ancient Egyptian life. Bassan Al-Shamaa also explained that there is no evidence of the story of the Bride of the Nile in terms of texts or inscriptions, not even on the walls of the temple of the princes and priests.
Why was Egypt called the gift of the Nile?
The Nile River sustains life in Egypt. Egypt is a country located in North Africa linked to southwest Asia with the Sinai Peninsula. Egypt is one of the oldest civilizations in the world, and is considered one of the cradle of civilizations. Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization in North Africa bearing the name “Heba”. Nile, which was concentrated along the lower course of the Nile River
Gift of the Nile :
Unlike the Nile Valley, a large portion of Egypt's territory is desert with some oases, so the country depends on the Nile for its water supply.
Herodotus, the Greek historian, was the one who gave Egypt the title “The Gift of the Nile River” because ancient Egypt owes its survival to the Nile River, and the Nile River is the main reason behind the beginning of civilization in ancient Egypt.
Nile River flood:
The flooding of the Nile River is a critical natural cycle that has been celebrated since ancient times. The flood is an annual holiday that begins on August 15 and lasts for two weeks.
The ancient Egyptians believed that the river overflowed annually because of the tears of Isis when she was crying for her murdered husband, Osiris. ( The Myth of Isis and Osiris )
The floods are the result of annual monsoon winds from May to August that cause heavy rains in the Ethiopian highlands, which reach a height of 14,928 feet. The Atbara River and the Blue Nile take a large proportion of their rainwater into the Nile River, while a smaller amount flows through the White Nile.
The Egyptian calendar was divided into three seasons: Shemu (harvest), Beret (growth), and Akhet (immersion). The Nile River is of great importance. In addition to being the main source of water for Egypt, it served as Egypt’s gateway to other parts of the world.
Ismail Pasha built the Ibrahimiyya Canal in 1873 to extend permanent irrigation