The High Dam at Aswan takes over from the original Aswan Dam in controlling
the flow of the Nile, and therefore performing a vital function for the
vast majority of the populated region of Egypt. The water behind the Dam
forms Lake Nasser, the largest man-made lake in the world, which extend well
back over the border with Sudan. The monument in the background is a tribute
to the Soviet Union which helped to fund the construction of the High Dam.
This stretch of the Nile at Philae, between the town of Aswan and the High Dam,
is one of the most picturesque.
A boat trip across this stretch takes you to an island where the Temple at
Philae has been reconstructed, after being moved as its original site was
covered by the Nile when the High Dam was constructed.
