LIFE IN THE NILE VALLEY

foreign [Music] this is the Nile the Great River in Egypt that you've read about in your histories and geographies about 4 000 miles in length the Nile is the longest river in Africa the Nile flows northward through more than half the length of the continent in the upper Nile Basin the river is fed by two main tributaries the Blue Nile which comes out of the mountains of Ethiopia and the White Nile which has its source in Lake Victoria these combine to form the Great River that flows northward through the lower Nile Valley into the Mediterranean Sea closely bordering the river are the Libyan and Arabian Deserts these are vast dry lands deserts with little rain hot days and cold nights hear the Blazing Sun beats down on sand and rocks but in the midst of the desert is the green Egyptian Oasis along the Nile a fertile strip of land averaging 10 miles in width here rich soil has been deposited year after year for thousands of years by the annual flooding of the Nile over 15 million people live in this narrow fertile Valley cities such as Cairo near the mouth of the Nile are centers of Valley Life through the historic City of Cairo passes most of the traffic and commerce of the Nile Valley on the wharves of Cairo products from the Nile Valley are unloaded foodstuffs such as vegetables and fruits many of the foodstuffs are sold in the open markets or bazaars of the old sections of Cairo here Egyptians of the lower Nile Valley trade goods from many parts of Africa some products of the valley are exported from Cairo which is the railroad Center Imports distributed from Cairo include Automobiles and other manufactured goods but the life of the city still depends largely on the Nile the most common means of transportation as we go Southward up the Nile we'll see something of a way of life both past and present graceful boats called polacas Sail the Nile as they have done for centuries not far from Cairo are the famous pyramids of ancient Egypt these tremendous monuments were built by Egyptians who lived in the Nile Valley about 5 000 years ago and ever since Egyptians have been living along the banks of the Nile tilling the fertile soil to bring the Waters of the river up into their fields Egyptians since ancient times have been using this device called a shadoof the counterweight helps the farmer lift the bucket of water from the canal then he empties it into an irrigation ditch leading into his field here is another ancient irrigation device the water wheel the revolving buckets lift the water from one ditch into another at a higher level such methods are part of a vast irrigation system that has made the Valley of the lower Nile a rich farming region to conserve and regulate the Waters of the Nile a number of dams have been built the dam at S1 is the largest of these the great dam at S1 regulates the amount of water that flows down the lower Nile water stored behind the dam during the flood period can be released so there is a continuous supply of water throughout the year smaller dams called barrages have been built across the lower Nile to divert water from the river to the irrigation system water that is so vital to the farmers of Lower Egypt find Farm people living in villages like this one along the Nile from the village where they lived the men go out to the fields with their work animals which are a kind of Buffalo while the men are gone we'll find the women of a typical family working about the house the two daughters are grinding beans in a simple Stone Mill inside the cool dark house with its walls of mud break mother sets out a simple meal of cornbread cheese vegetables and melon to the food this family eats is grown by the father and his two sons in their fields outside the village let's meet these Egyptian Farmers plowing the land with their oxen the father's name is Hassan helping him plow his Ali his younger son who guides the oxen Hassan wears a turban on his head to keep off the hot sun the plow he is using is a simple wooden one much like the plows that were drawn by cattle in ancient times in the same land Hassan and his sons Farm about five acres of land they can grow several crops a year because of the rich soil a year-round warm climate and irrigation working on one of the irrigation ditches is Hassan's oldest son Saline he is deepening the ditch getting it ready to carry water from the Nile nearby Salem sees one of his neighbors letting the water run into a field by opening and closing the ditches a farmer can regulate the flow of water until the whole field is flooded like this after flooding crops are planted crops such as beans one of the vegetables that most families raise here this is a field of maize or corn a plant imported from the new world to the old world the important crop is cotton which is raised and sold for money as Salem works is joined by his father and younger brother and together they talk of planting the next crop meanwhile in the village the rest of Hassan's family is busy his two daughters are going for water how beautifully She carries the heavy jug this is a daily chore filling the jug with water from one of the village pumps while one girl carries the water her younger sister decides to visit the Village Center here is a modern Health Clinic a bath house and a library on her way home along the Village Street the older sister passes a school inside the open courtyard we can see the teacher and his class Es are often held outdoors in hot countries such as Egypt the boys are busily reciting their lessons aloud the boy wearing the turban is named Mohammed he is the youngest son of the family we've been watching doesn't he seem serious about his lesson Muhammad is 11 years old and attends this free Elementary School regularly after school Mohammed has certain chores to do it's his job to ride the donkey to the fields to help bring in the tools up he goes and he's off to the fields as he rides out past the mud brick houses of the village his father and brothers are just finishing their work for the day Muhammad rides across the fertile Fields past tall date palm trees to join his brothers and his father now the oldest boy Salem will ride the donkey back home father loads the wooden plow and Salem holds his steady then they start for home carrying the rest of their tools another work day is ended for this Farm family one of many Farm families who live in the fertile land of the lower Nile Valley let's remember that the Waters of the Nile are vital to life in the valley through flooding and irrigation the land has been made fertile and the valley produces a wealth of crops almost all the year round today the farmers follow a pattern of living that has gone on for thousands of years in the fertile lands along the Lower Valley of the Nile foreign