In front of the Giza Pyramids and the Sphinx, researcher Eman Ghoneim is examining the surface topography of the defunct Nile segment.
Situated on a remote and slender stretch of land bordering the Sahara Desert, Giza is home to the Great Pyramid of Egypt and many other historic structures.
Archaeologists have long been troubled by this barren landscape; some have discovered proof that the Nile partially passed through these pyramids, enabling the creation of this iconic structure 4,700 years ago.
A new research that included sediment core analysis and satellite photos was published in the journal on Thursday. Communication A 64-kilometer (40-mile) dry tributary of the Nile that has long been hidden under deserts and farms has been studied by Earth and the Environment. A 64-kilometer (40-mile) dried-up branch of the Nile that has long been hidden under desert and agriculture has been identified and published in the journal Communications Earth & Environment on Thursday.
Emman Goneim, the study’s lead author and director of the Space and Drone Remote Sensing Laboratory of the Department of Earth and Marine Sciences at the University of North Carolina, Wilmington, stated, “Although many efforts have been made to rebuild the early Nile waterway, they are largely limited to collecting soil samples from small sites, which allows us to draw fragments of the ancient Nile river system.”
“This is the first research report, providing the first map of the long-lost ancient tributaries of the Nile.”
Ghoneim and her associates named the long-gone Nile tributary Ahramat, which translates to “pyramids” in Arabic.
The now-extinct Ahramat branch may have been used by the ancient Egyptians to build a number of pyramids.
Ghoneim Eman et al.
According to Ghoneim, the ancient canal is comparable to the modern Nile in that it is at least 25 meters (82 feet) deep and around 0.5 kilometers (or one-third of a mile) broad.
Ghoneim said, “The large size and extension of the Ahramat tributary, as well as its proximity to the 31 pyramids in the research area, strongly indicate the importance of this functional waterway.”
She said that the river was essential to the ancient Egyptians’ ability to move the massive quantities of manpower and construction materials required to construct the pyramids.
“In addition, our research shows that many pyramids in the study area have causeways, a ceremonially elevated sidewalk, perpendicular to the branch of the pyramid, and directly terminate on its river bank.”
The arm of the Nile that is no longer there is situated next to the red pyramid at the Dakhshur Cemetery.
Suspended remnants of vanished rivers
According to Ghoneim, neither aerial photographs nor optical satellite pictures show any signs of the river. Actually, it was only upon examining radar satellite data in the broader region of extinct rivers and lakes—which would indicate previously undiscovered groundwater sources—that she discovered anything remarkable.
“I study landforms as a geomorphologist and paleo-water writer. “I have eyes that are trained,” she said.
“When studying these data, I noticed this very obvious branch or river bank, but it doesn’t make any sense, because it is really far away from the Nile,” she said.
Gunem, an Egyptian by birth, is aware of the pyramids nearby and has always been curious as to why they were constructed there. She submitted an application to the US National Science Foundation for more research, and utilizing geophysical data collected on the ground using electromagnetic tomography and ground detection radar, she was able to determine that it was an old tributary of the Nile. At a depth of around 25 meters (82 feet), the researchers used drilling equipment to recover two lengthy cores, which revealed sandy sediments compatible with the river.
This investigation suggests that “numerless” temples on the banks of the Ahmad tributary are probably still hidden under the desert.
In order to validate their results, the researchers gathered soil samples.
The reason for the disappearance or drying up of this river tributary is unknown. According to Ghoneim, the most plausible explanation for the river’s siltation is that sand from a time of drought and desertification has flowed into the region.
The investigation revealed that the topography and river scenery of the Nile were significantly different when the pyramid was erected, according to Nick Marina, a geographer at the French National Center for Scientific Research in Paris. Although he did not take part in the study, he completed research on the Giza River’s past.
Marina said, “This study has completed an important part of the mystery of the past landscape.” By piecing these pieces together, we may have a better understanding of the parts of the Nile that were under water while the pyramid builders lived there, as well as how the ancient Egyptians used their surroundings to move building materials for massive construction projects.”
The archaeological crew was positioned before the temple of the Unas Valley, an ancient Egyptian river port.
