"A multinational venture, with China as its leading constructor, the eye-catching Merowe Dam has not only brought hope of prosperity to the local people, but also ever closer ties between the friendly nations. . . . Thomas Richter, the chief concrete engineer with Lahmeyer International of Germany told Xinhua that the hydropower project will be a massive help in the improvement of the environment along the Nile and in Sudan's desert area. The biggest African country suffers considerable soil and water losses caused by the annual flooding of the Nile. However, once the dam project is concluded, it will not happen again, said Richter. The project also includes an irrigation network, which is expected to turn 400 sq. km of barren desert into a green oasis of fertile farm lands."
The Merowe Dam (formerly known as the Hamdab Dam), like the Aswan High Dam, will also flood areas containing extensive archaeological remains, including the prehistoric rock art of the fourth cataract.
For more information about rescue work being carried out at Merowe, see
For more information about rescue work being carried out at Merowe, see
http://www.sudarchrs.org.uk/page31.html
A three-page MS Word document is available for download on this page: "A campaign (2001-2002) have been organized by NCAM in collaboration with the French Archaeological Section (SFDAS) to rescue antiquities of the area of El-Multaga (13000 feddan: about 30940 hectares). The operation resulted in the recording of over 100 concentrations of prehistoric sites together with a Christian settlement, near the Nile, in a location which had been chosen by the Ministry of Irrigation for the installation of the new pump station of the resettlement project.
Further upstream, roads on both banks of the Nile leading to the dam site from Kereima and Merowe, together with a railway linking the dam with the existing line on the right bank are being built. A small township for the engineers and later, for the administration of the dam and the power station is under construction. The beginning of the engineering work for the dam itself is planned in March 2003.
A three-page MS Word document is available for download on this page: "A campaign (2001-2002) have been organized by NCAM in collaboration with the French Archaeological Section (SFDAS) to rescue antiquities of the area of El-Multaga (13000 feddan: about 30940 hectares). The operation resulted in the recording of over 100 concentrations of prehistoric sites together with a Christian settlement, near the Nile, in a location which had been chosen by the Ministry of Irrigation for the installation of the new pump station of the resettlement project.
Further upstream, roads on both banks of the Nile leading to the dam site from Kereima and Merowe, together with a railway linking the dam with the existing line on the right bank are being built. A small township for the engineers and later, for the administration of the dam and the power station is under construction. The beginning of the engineering work for the dam itself is planned in March 2003.
The National Corporation For Antiquities & Museums (NCAM) have organized a 6 month campaign (2001-2002) to rescue sites endangered by the engineering activities, on the left bank, over a distance of about 8 kilometers. The result of this campaign is the recording and testing of tens of sites ranging from prehistoric settlements, graves of pre- Napatan, Post – Meroitic, Christian and others of undetermined dates. Many rock drawings of various periods have also been recorded. These are mainly drawings of animals (camels, donkeys, and horse), boats and crosses. The campaign included, also, the excavation of a big kom on the Island of Mirowy containing 10 Christian graves on the surface and an earlier Post- Meroitic burial at the bottom; in addition to houses of the Christian period. The surface of this Island has also yielded rare Prehistoric tools. The mission of the Archaeological Museum of Gdansk (Poland) covered the equivalent area on the right bank."
See the above site for full details.
For brief official information about some of the archaeological rescue work, visit the Merowe Dam Project site:
For brief official information about some of the archaeological rescue work, visit the Merowe Dam Project site:
"First we have to note that Merowe most famous archaeological heritage such as Barkal Mountain, and the Pyramids fall after the Dam’s location and are not affected in any way by its structure. On the contrary, the Dam will have a positive effect on these sites, as the Dam by itself, is an area of attraction, and is expected to bring more tourists to the area."
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