Banks Of Nile Research Articles

"From the Nile's Banks to Ecofeminist Discourse: An Analysis of Idris Ali’s Dongola, A Novel of Nubia"

"From the Nile's Banks to Ecofeminist Discourse: An Analysis of Idris Ali’s Dongola, A Novel of Nubia"

Floods, droughts, and environmental circumscription in early state development: the case of ancient Egypt

AbstractWhat explains the origins and survival of the first states around 5000 years ago? In this research, we focus on the role of weather-related productivity shocks for early state development in ancient Egypt. We present a framework of extractive state consolidation predicting that political stability should be high whenever environmental circumscription is high, i.e., whenever there is a large gap between the productivity of the area under state control (core) and that of the surrounding areas (hinterland). In such periods, the elite can impose high levels of taxation that the population will be forced to accept as exit to the hinterland is not a feasible option. In order to test this hypothesis, we develop novel proxies for both the historical productivity of the Nile banks and of the Egyptian hinterland on the basis of high-resolution paleoclimate archives. Our empirical analysis then investigates the relationship between these proxies for environmental circumscription and political outcomes such as ruler and dynastic tenure durations, the area under state control and pyramid construction during 2685–1140 BCE. Our results show that while extreme Nile floods are associated with a greater degree of political instability, periods with a greater rainfall in the hinterland (i.e., a lower effective environmental circumscription) causes a decline in state capacity and a delayed increase in political instability.

From the Delta to the Delta: Natural Conditions and Settlers on the Main Nile in the Fifth Millennium BC. Part I (Introductory)

The 5th millennium BC is marked by the transition to agriculture in the Egyptian Nile valley, rather late for the Fertile Crescent. This was preceded by the Quaternary epic of discovery of the Nile banks by hominids, from the Olduvian Pithecanthropus of the lower Palaeolithic to the Neolithic settlers of the Predynastic period, who laid the socio-economic foundation of the Pharaonic civilization. In the Pleistocene geological epoch, the Main Nile underwent a complex evolutionary transformation from palaeo-rivers with such powerful watercourses as the Prenile to the much inferior in volume Neonile on which, at the 2nd marine isotope stage (27.8–14.7 ka) when the Sahara was a hyperarid desert, comparatively frequent Paleolithic sites of gatherers, fishermen and hunters arose in Upper Egypt and Lower Nubia (the archaeological cultures Halfa, Fakhuri, Qadan, Ballana, Silsila, Afia, Makhadma et al.). Warming and humidification of the climate with the onset of the 1st marine isotope stage was accompanied by an “abrupt return” of the summer monsoon rains to East Africa and an episode of the “Wild Nile” with the incision of the River, which probably made its Egyptian valley unsuitable for settlement by the beginning of the Holocene (11700 ± 99 ka); thus, the Epipalaeolithic is represented here by rare industries of Elkab in Upper Egypt and Karun in the Fayum oasis. At the same time, from the 9th millennium BC there was an increase in the population of the Sahara, where during the African humid period of the early Holocene grassy and woody savannahs were spreading. The Nile Delta with its “historical” network of branches had not yet formed and represented a barren sandy plain which (as well as the Valley) was unsuitable for life and the establishment of the food-producing economy. Simultaneously in Sudan, in the Gezira region at the confluence of the White and Blue Nile, an inner delta was formed, which may have been the cause of the later Neolithization of the lower reaches of the Main Nile.

Catalytic and Medical Potential of a Phyto-Functionalized Reduced Graphene Oxide-Gold Nanocomposite Using Willow-Leaved Knotgrass.

In the current study, a simple, environmentally friendly, and cost-effective reduced graphene oxide–gold nanoparticle (rGO-AuNP) nanocomposite was successfully phytosynthesized using the aqueous leaf extract of a common weed found on the Nile banks, Persicaria salicifolia, for the first time. The phytosynthesis of rGO-AuNPs was first confirmed via the color transformation from brown to black as well as throughvarious techniques such as transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Raman spectroscopy. Two UV–vis peaks at 275 and 530 nm were observed for the nanocomposite with a typical particle size of mostly spherical AuNPs of 15–20 nm. However, other shapes were occasionally detected including rods, triangles, and rhomboids. Existing phytoconstituents such as flavonoids and glycosides in the plant extract were suggested to be responsible for the phytosynthesis of rGO-AuNPs. The excellent catalytic efficacy of rGO-AuNPs against MB degradation was confirmed, and a high antibacterial efficiency against Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumonia was also confirmed. Promising antioxidant performance of rGO-AuNPs was also proved. Furthermore, it was concluded that rGO-AuNPs acquired higher efficiency than AuNPs synthesized from the same plant extract in all of the studied applications.

Impact of policies, strategies and agricultural institutions on food security and poverty status of vegetable farmers along the blue nile banks, Gezira State, Sudan (2017)

Having clear picture on food security status and its major determinants helps policy makers and planners to introduce new policies that enhance food security. The study was aimed to evaluate the impact of policies, strategies and institution on food security and poverty status of the vegetables farmers in Gezira State with reference to the Blue Nile farmers. To achieve these objectives stratified random sampling technique was used to select the respondents from five localities lays along Blue Nile, so 150 farming households were interviewed. Food security Policy and strategy were collected by the mean of questionnaire targeting key line institutions. Poverty indices were calculated using expenditure as welfare indicator,Gini coefficient was applied. The results showed that the majority 75% of the respondents were above expenditure poverty line (7196)SDG. Moreover, the results showed that the poverty gap index was equal to five percent. Kamlin, Medani, East Gezira reported the higher expenditure distance from the poverty line (6 percent). The severity of poverty in the state is estimated to be two percent, likewise the severity of poverty in East Gezira was found to have a higher percentage (three percent). According to Gini coefficient the income distribution estimated at 0.46 while that for expenditure distribution is estimated at 0.31, these results showed a higher degree of inequality. The results showed that the poorest 20% of the population earned 0.06% of the total income while the richest 20% earned 45% of the total income. About 50.7% from the respondents use borrowing from others as one of their coping strategies. About 78%of policy makers said that there was organized team from all institutions dealing with food security and nutrition issue, all policy makers in the state said there was strategy concerning the food security and nutrition issues. The study recommended that the cash transfer needed to lift the poor out of poverty that each poor person needs five percent of the value of the poverty line.

Biodiversity and Classification of Plant Communities of Sabaloka area-central Sudan

The study was carried out during the period 2016 – 2018, through several extensive and intensive field trips that covered deferent habitats (Wadis & River Nile banks) of Sabaloga area central Sudan. The study dealt with Analysis of plant communities which include species diversity and classification of plants communities by Cluster Analysis (CA).The species diversity in Wadis for trees and shrubs was lower than the diversity of herbs , while it was higher in River Nile Banks for both trees and herbs.The study shown that the study area was included seven plant communities located in two sites. Site 1 was represented by six Wadis which included six plant communities. Site 2 was represented by River Nile Banks which included one plant community (Community 7).

The effect of information technology on the quality of accounting information

This paper aims to study the effect of using information technology on the quality of the accounting information by studying the dimensions of information technology (collecting, processing, storing, and sending data, and information) with a field study on the Nile Bank in Sudan. The researchers followed some descriptive analytical approach to conduct the field study. Researchers distributed (120) questionnaires and (104) of them were collected. The study concluded that dimensions of information technology (collecting, processing, storing, and transmitting data, and information) impact the dimensions of accounting information quality (relevance, reliability, understandability, consistency, comparability).

Identification of A Liverwort Fossil on Pottery from A Church Excavation in Northern Sudan: Evidence for Moist Paleoenvironment

This paper aims to document the first record of coalified compression fossil of a liverwort on pottery from a church excavation in the desert, northern Sudan. The outline or surface feature of the fossil is clearly observed. Morphological distortion is minimal while the internal anatomy is not preserved. The shapes of the archaeological specimens are closely similar to the morphology of a Riccia sp collected from the Red Sea state and the Blue Nile bank in Khartoum state. Energy-Dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF), Scanning Electron Microscopy with Energy (SEM/EDS), and Gas Chromatography and Mass Spectroscopy (GC-Mass) analytical techniques were used to determine the chemical composition of the fossil materials. Higher concentrations were reported for Carbon and Oxygen indicating the organic nature of the materials and also excluded the presence of manganese dentrites which perfectly imitate liverwort fossils. Also n-hexadecanoic acid, dodecanoic acid, tetradecanoic acid, hexadecanoic acid, methyl ester, cis-9-hexadecenoic acid, 9, 12-octadecadienoic acid (z,z)-, methyl ester,tert-butyldimethylsilyl decanoic acid were recorded for the fossil materials. This study also provides additions to the chemical profile for the fresh material from the same genus which provides important data or monitors for the assessment of the chemical or thermal alteration in the corresponding coalified compression fossil.

Removal of heavy metals from wastewater by natural growing plants on River Nile banks in Egypt

Abstract Green remediation is a known technology that uses different types of plants to extract contaminants from the environment. This study aims to remove heavy metals from treated wastewater by using natural growing plants on River Nile banks in Egypt. Secondary treated effluent was collected from West Gerga wastewater treatment plant, located in Sohag city, Egypt. Experiments using two types of aquatic plants were carried out. They were planted individually and in combination with different densities on the secondary treated wastewater surface for 10 days' retention time to remove cadmium (Cd), nickel (Ni) and lead (Pb). It was concluded that both plants have high capabilities to remove heavy metals directly from treated wastewater. The removal efficiency of Cd and Pb was higher when they were planted together than when individually planted. A positive relationship was observed between detention time and heavy metals removal. The removal efficiency of heavy metals increased with the increase of plant density for both plant types. Also, the availability of aquatic plants and their free cost makes their use an economically attractive alternative. In addition, the removal of these plants from River Nile improves the performance of water distribution networks in Egypt.

Bridges Over the Nile. Transportation Corridors Transformed into Public Spaces

Cairo is a congested city with high rate of urbanization and very limited public space. Cairo has one of the lowest rates of parkland per capita of any major city. Moreover, the banks of the Nile, formerly alive with activities such as washing, fishing, and felucca landings, were by the end of the twentieth century largely cutoff from free public access by a wall of busy roads, private clubs, luxury hotels, restaurants, nurseries, and police/military stations, roads. The need for open space for people from lower income who could not afford the expensive options along the Nile banks, has resulted in use of the sidewalks of the main bridges as public spaces. Families, couples, and friends tolerate the noise and fumes of traffic to enjoy the expansive views and breezes over the Nile. As a result of this extraordinary re-purposing of the bridges, new small businesses have formed to cater to the uses, and a new interaction with the river has emerged. We studied the patterns of use, characteristics of the user population, and stated preferences of users. We identify a set of characteristics contributing to the popularity of the bridges as public space, including affordability, accessibility, openness to the river and visual connection with the other bank. We propose that these characteristics be taken into account when developing future projects along the river water front to address the need for public space and access to the Nile.

Pharaoh's Cage: Environmental Circumscription and Appropriability in Early State Development

Trabajo presentado en el Power and Change - Informal mini-workshp, organizado por ESOP: Centre for the Study of Equality, Social Organization and Performan y celebrado en la Universidad de Oslo (Noruega), el 15 de mayo de 2019

Greening and opening the public space of the Nile banks. A demonstration case study in Maadi, Cairo

The Nile, in general, and particularly in Cairo, is an ecological, cultural and social corridor that is not yet fully utilized. The 2011 Cairo workshop “Connecting Cairo to the Nile” identified the potential to increase accessibility to the river, suggested longitude trail system, proposed connecting the waterfront with adjacent neighborhoods and proposed expanding the ferry system. I studied a 2-km reach of the east bank in Maadi, a wealthy suburb about 10 km upstream of the city center, with relatively greener banks, availability of resources at the district level, higher awareness of local residents, physical setting allow for banks re-use, existence of community organizations (i.e. Tree Lovers and Midan). Findings of fieldwork and interviews show that: (i) species of native vegetation found are Phoenix Dactylifera, Jacaranda, Cortedarea and Papyrus alba; these are concentrated along 115 meter in southern part of the study area. (ii) Public access was categorized into: public space (accessible), private or semi-public space (accessible with conditions), and prohibited (inaccessible). Along this representative stretch of the Nile, the public access was limited to 16%, the private or semi-public makes 29% and the prohibited zones are 55%. (iii) Boating operations found to be in three categories, floating hotels (Nile cruises), motor boats (including ferries) and sailing boats, all are scattered along the banks without an overall plan or organization, which affects water flow and block public access to the banks. To better develop the banks, I recommend (i) maintaining existing riparian vegetation and expand it to other areas with healthy banks or planted nurseries, (ii) connecting open public spaces to create a pleasant walking trail along the banks in addition to improving public access by relocating government buildings (such as the police or military facilities) and facilitate access to the river for general public, (iii) reducing the anchoring points to two locations and redistribute boating operations to group all motor boats to use the ferry anchoring points and all the sailing boats to use Al-Yacht club marina.

Joseph’s Journey: Uncovering Israel’s Unconscious

This paper decodes the story of Campbell’s namesake, Joseph of Genesis, son of Jacob. It demonstrates that Joseph, much more so than Moses, represents the archetypal hero. Joseph is called to adventure into the unknown. Due to the boundedness of the Abrahamic worldview, Joseph must leave monotheistic Israel to fulfil his potential in polytheistic Egypt. It is as viceroy of Pharaoh that he comes into his own power, his political eminence an emanation of his intuitive, creative power. Joseph’s journey itself serves as the Call to Adventure for the hero’s journey of Israel: Israel, as a people, must recognize Joseph’s creative power and follow him into Egypt to realize their own procreative power. Before returning to the familiarity of the desert, the motherless children of Israel are called into the unknown to be nourished by the Nile. It is at the banks of the Nile that they fulfil their divine mandate to multiply. Joseph’s intuitive power—the ability to receive and interpret prophetic dreams—makes explicit what is implicitly encoded in the Campbellian hero’s journey: the masculine individual consciousness venturing into the feminine collective unconscious, matrix of creativity, in pursuit of wholeness. His story moreover celebrates the centrality of personal transformation to the Campbellian heroic quest, flourishing through embodiment of transformational leadership.

VIRTUAL REALITY AND THE ISLAMIC WATER SYSTEM IN CAIRO: CHALLENGES AND METHODS

The Nile River plays a central role in Egyptians’ everyday life as the sustainable source of fresh water. Egyptians sought to regulate the Nile through the ages by inventing water systems suitable to monitor, measure and oversee the Nile’s behaviour. Because of the high value of water in Islam and its link to agriculture and taxation, Muslim rulers paid attention to water projects for irrigation and delivery to the cities throughout Islamic medieval dynasties. Islamic Cairo has a variety of water systems reacting to two major factors. First: westward shifting of the Nile, according to topographic inclination, causing the waves cutting into the west bank to precipitate in the east. As a result, the founders (Sultans al-Naser Mohamed and al-Ghoury in particular) always built new water intake towers in response to this phenomenon. Second: the relocation of the capital of Islamic Egypt to Cairo and later to the Citadel northeast resulting in constant displacement further away from the Nile bank. Whereas 'Amr ibn al-'As built al-Fustat (641 A.D) close to the Nile, al-'Asakar (750 CE) and al-Qata'i (876 A.D) were built northeast of al-Fustat away from the Nile. When al-Mu‘izz Ledin-Allah came to Egypt in 971 A.D, he blamed the commander of his army Jawhar al-Saqaly because of the city’s location far from the Nile. The citadel of Cairo is the farthest capital of Islamic Egypt, because of the appropriateness of the fortified location on al-Muqattam heaps inside the newly built Citadel. Chronicles and surviving buildings provide a full narrative and accounts of water systems of the Islamic capitals in Egypt. Such knowledge and information enable a credible virtual reality model to create a realistic output for the tangibles and intangibles of the water system using the virtual reality application.

Growth and nutrients accumulation potentials of giant reed (Arundo donax L.) in different habitats in Egypt

ABSTRACTArundo donax L. has a high biomass production and a tendency toward community dominance in many habitats and thereby a tolerance to a wide range of environmental conditions. Therefore, the present study investigated the potentiality of A. donax to accumulate nutrients and trace metals in its biomass. Six main habitats (Nile Bank, Drain Bank, Canal Bank, Field Edges, Railways and Roadsides) were recognized. At each habitat, six quadrats (each 1 m2), distributed equally in two sites, were selected for growth measurements (e.g., density, shoot height, diameter, leaf area and biomass), plant and soil analyses. Plants from Nile, Canal and Drain Banks had the highest values of most growth measurements, while those from Railways and Roadsides had the lowest. Canal Bank plants accumulated the highest concentrations of P, Cu and Pb in their leaves; Zn in the stem; and Mg, Cd and Fe in the rhizome. The bioaccumulation factor (BF) of A. donax, for Cd, Fe, Mn and Zn, was greater than 1, while the translocation factor (TF) of most trace metals was less than unity in most habitats. In conclusion, A. donax showed morphological plasticity in response to habitat heterogeneity, and its growth was most vigorous in the riparian habitats. The high BF, as well as the significant positive correlations between trace metals, especially Cd, in soil and plant, renders A. donax a powerful phytoremediator.

The impact of Merowe Dam on Simulium hamedense vector of onchocerciasis in Abu Hamed focus - Northern Sudan

BackgroundAbu Hamed, the northernmost onchocerciasis focus in the world, is located along the River Nile banks in the Nubian Desert. Hydroelectric dams can alter activity of black flies and may provide breeding sites for black fly. Merowe Dam, the largest hydropower project in Africa, was built west of Abu Hamed focus in 2009. The impact of the Dam on onchocerciasis and its black fly vectors in Abu Hamed focus was measured in this study.FindingsEntomological surveys for aquatic stages and adult Simulium hamedense were conducted before and after the inception of Merowe Dam in 2007/2008 and 2010/2011. There was no black fly breeding or adult activity in the previously known breeding sites upstream of the Merowe Dam with the western most breeding site found in AlSarsaf village near the center of the focus. No adult or aquatic stages of black flies were found downstream of the Dam.ConclusionsThe artificial lake of the Dam flooded all the breeding sites in the western region of the focus and no aquatic stages and/or adult black fly activity were established in the study area upstream of the Dam. The Dam seems to have positive impact on onchocerciasis and its black fly vectors in Abu Hamed focus. These outcomes of the Merowe Dam might have contributed to the recently declared interruption of onchocerciasis transmission in Abu Hamed focus. Continuous entomological surveys are needed to monitor presence of black fly vectors and its impact on the disease.

Oxidative stress on land snail Helix aspersa as a sentinel organism for ecotoxicological effects of urban pollution with heavy metals

The oxidative stress in the digestive gland of the land snail Helix aspersa was considered as a bioindicator for atmospheric pollution with heavy metals from several industries and vehicular traffic in Kafr El-Zayat city. Regional means of heavy metals concentration of all sites were 0.71, 7.09, 0.71, 2.68, 41.44 and 18.01mgkg−1 wet mass for Cd, Mn, Ni, Pb, Zn and Cu, respectively. In addition, the highest values of Cd concentrations were found 1.22 and 1.73mgkg−1 wet mass in S1 (Potato International Center) and S4 (The Nile bank), respectively. Lactate dehydrogenase (D-LDH(and recorded lipid peroxidation (LPO) levels were significantly high in S1 and S2 (Traffic station). On the other hand, the highest activity of catalase (CAT) was found in S2 (194.04% of control), while the activity of glutathione peroxidase (GPx) reached the highest significant value in S1.As a matter of fact, glutathione-S-transferase (GST) and glutathione reductase (GR) activities were significantly higher in polluted sites than in reference zone. In contrast, the glutathione (GSH) concentration of exposed animals showed significant decrease in all sites, with the lowest value in S1 (57.61% of control). However, metallothioneins concentration (MT) showed no significant difference in all sites except in S1 which accounted for 127.81% of control. Therefore, the overall results of this study showed the importance of H. aspersa as a sentinel organism for biomonitoring the biologic impact of atmospheric pollution in urban areas.

Evaluating the effectiveness of bank infiltration process in new Aswan City, Egypt

Riverbank filtration (RBF) is an efficient and low-cost natural alternative technology for water supply application in which surface water contaminants are removed or degraded as the infiltrating water moves from the river to the pumping wells. In this study, a full-scale RBF site consisting of three vertical wells installed 50 m from Nile bank was investigated. The RBF systems are particularly well suited for providing better water quality than withdrawal directly from the Nile River to produce drinking water for New Aswan city. The study is carried out by taking samples over 1 year from riverbank filtrates wells, Nile River (as induced surface water), and some production wells were collected and analyzed. Physicochemical and microbiological measurements such as turbidity, dissolved oxygen, total suspended solids, total organic carbon, total dissolved solids, electrical conductivity, pH, Fe, Mn, NH3, NO2, NO3, PO4, Ca, Mg, Na, K, HCO3, SO4, Cl, total bacteria, and total coliform were carried out. The results of bank filtrate were compared with those of the natural groundwater and previous reported Nile water. Chemical and bacterial quality parameters of RBF are under the allowable limits for drinking water. Moreover, bank filtration is simultaneously improved the ambient groundwater and cleaned Nile water in the studied area. Result of this full-scale RBF plant showed the effectiveness of riverbank filtration as a proven treatment technique in Nile Valley with a fraction of cost comparing to conventional surface treatment plants.

Preliminary Assessment and Processing of Beach Sands along the River Nile Banks, Northern State, Sudan

Several samples were collected from the beach sands accumulated in many places along the River Nile banks through the northern state, Sudan. The collected samples were subjected to microscopic, X-ray diffraction and chemical analysis. Mineralogical analysis has shown that the mineral components of those samples include magnetite, hornblende, garnet, ilmenite, rutile, zircon and monazite. Several separation techniques were also applied to separate the potential heavy minerals. The obtained results indicated that the tested beach sand samples contain substantial amounts of the potential heavy minerals, especially zircon and monazite.

Horizontal nutrient flows and balances in irrigated urban gardens of Khartoum, Sudan

The role of urban agriculture (UA) for the supply of fresh vegetables, fruits and meat for local markets is well known. The periodically flooded Gerif soils on the River Nile banks in the core of Khartoum city harbour vegetable gardens that supply perishable leafy vegetables with a short life cycle. In an effort to assess their sustainability and possible negative environmental impact we used a horizontal balance approach to determine the nutrient use efficiency of four intensively cropped UA gardens. Two of the gardens were located in downstream lowlands (L1 and L2) and the other two belonged to the upstream highlands (H1 and H2). The river sediments contributed on average 873 kg nitrogen (N), 6.5 kg phosphorus (P), 6.8 kg potassium (K) and 8,317 kg carbon (C) per hectare in lowland gardens, while only 289, 1.6, 2.5 and 1,938 kg N, P, K and C ha−1 reached the highlands. The farmers’ management in all four gardens resulted in horizontal N and C surpluses of 75–342 kg N ha−1 year−1 and 798–6,412 kg C ha−1 year−1, in contrast to P and K for which negative balances up to −45 kg P ha−1 year−1 and −583 kg K ha−1 year−1 were recorded. While the River Nile floods as important N and C source contribute significantly to soil fertility maintenance, the negative P and K balances call for a better integration of UA gardening with livestock husbandry and the regular addition of animal manure in these cropping systems.