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Ancient Cities along the Deltas of the River Nile
Deltas- how they are formed
- SPEAKING of landforms, a delta is a deposit of sediment at the bend or elbow, especially at the mouth of a river.
- This delta has been accumulating sediments for long periods of time.
- These deposit of sediments are composed of gravel, sand, silt and clay which are byproducts of erosion.
- Strong flood currents and heavy downpour caused by rainy seasons triggered the erosion of river banks and carry these sediments and all to form river deltas.
Ancient people found the river deltas productive and settle on them
- The ease of transportation and communication provided by the scenic Nile River of ancient times as well as the possibility and promise of a bumper crop harvest provided by the fertile Nile River deltas, attracted tribes of people to settle in these Deltas.
- In the previous hub, I have covered and featured 3 such settlements as ALEXANDRIA, CAIRO and DAMANHUR.
- Now I'll be presenting and featuring another 3 ancient settlements that have made full and extensive benefits of the Nile deltas. These are DAMIETTA, ROSETTA and GOSHEN.
Damietta is a port and capital city of Domyat, Egypt
- DAMIETTA is a port and the capital city of the governorate of Domyat, Egypt.
- It is found at the intersection between the Miditerranean Sea and the Nile. Situated about 200 kilometers or 120 miles north of Cairo and with a population of 1,093,580 (2006), Damietta was called Tamyat in ancient Egypt.
- Today Damietta is connected to the Nile by a canal, which has made it an important port once more.
- It is now a modern city. It is the seat of SEGAS LNG or Liquefied Natural Gas Plant. A 3600 MTPD gas plant is scheduled to be finished this year .
- Among its economic activities, Damietta is noted for white Damiat cheese or other dairy products, furniture and woodwork antiques, pattisiare and Egyptian desserts, containers transport and fish.
Rosetta is a port city on the Mediterranean coast of Egypt
- LOCATED some 65 kilometers or 40 miles east of Alexandria, the town of Rashid came to be known in the west as ROSETTA (Rosette) the name by which it was referred to by the French during Napoleon Bonaparte's campaign in Egypt.
- Founded about AD 800, Rosetta with a population of 58,432 (1996) is a port city on the Mediterranean coast of Egypt.
- It is famous as the site where a large piece of black basalt bearing an inscription in Egyptian hieroglyphics (ancient Egyptian writing using picture or symbol) was found by Napoleon's French soldiers in 1799.
- This basalt which is better known as ROSETTA STONE is now kept in the British Museum was the key to the deciphering or correct interpretation of ancient Egyptian writings.
Ancient beautiful houses in Rosetta
- Beautiful houses from the 17th to the 19th centuries are prominent features of Rosetta which was once the most important port of Egypt and a major center of trade on the Mediterranean and
- it continued to flourish until the construction of the Mahmudiyeh Canal and the improvement of the harbour ot Alexandria diverted most of its trades to the latter city.
Israelites settled Goshen for more than 430 years until the Exodus
- GOSHEN is located in northeastern Egypt in the delta of the Nile River where it empties into the Mediterranean Sea.
- To the east is Sinai Peninsula. To the south are the famous pyramids and the Valley of the Kings where many mummies have been discovered.
- Goshen is a province in Egypt that was given to the Israelites for settlements and where they would remain for more than 430 years (Exodus 12:40-41) until the Exodus when Moses led them out on their wilderness journey to the promised land.
- The place was a fertile area in the Nile delta. This is the only place within Egypt that was spared free from the 10 supernatural plagues suffered by the Egyptians as a result of the Pharoah's obstinacy to grant freedom to the Hebrews.
Israelites rapidly grew in number
- The Israelites were fruitful and increased greatly, they multiplied and grew exceedingly strong and so Goshen in Egypt was filled with them.
- A military census taken not long after the Exodus listed 603,550 twenty-year-old and over able-bodied men who could serve in the army (Exodus 28:36)
- From that number, it was estimated that the total Israelite population that time was 2 to 3 million. (Written April 2, 2010)