Wind & the River In Egypt – The North Wind Helped make Egypt Eternal

The ease of communication, transport of cargo and travel by river helped keep Egypt a power in the Ancient World. Even in our modern world, travel and transport on the Nile is an important economic factor for Egypt.

The wind in Egypt usually blows from the north, cooling things down in the desert with refreshing Mediterranean air. These prevailing winds have greatly assisted travel on the Nile, which flows from south to north. Boats can travel with the current north and with the wind south.

The winds are blocked at the Qina Bend by steep limestone cliffs, when the river flows east for a short distance. Temperature changes in the desert can cause gusting winds that blow like a blizzard across the desert surface.

These winds howl in the dark cold of the desert night. The winds swirl dust into the air, choking out the sun. The winds can only lift the sand five to six feet off the surface, shifting it across the desert surface in heavy sheets. Stones are polished to a luster by the sand blast. The sand stings your face, fills your ears and blinds your eyes. You need a scarf to cover your nose and mouth so that you can breath easier. Sand gets into everything.

In the spring winds called khamsins blow from the south. The name comes from the Arabic word for fifty, which is how many days that it is believed that these winds last. A change in atmosphere causes the animals to get restless and it is thought that humans can lose their tempers easier at this time. The winds bring hot air and lifts the dust off of the dunes that had been deposited by the northerly winds. The dust towers into tall columns which eventually dump dust everywhere.

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Even today Egyptians and tourists rely on the Sail Boat for easy travel in Egypt.

If you have a chance to travel to Egypt, don’t miss out on one of the Nile boat tours there. Most tourists say it is a welcome and relaxing change from the tourist crowds at many sites.

See more on the Climate of Egypt at –>The Climate

René