The 2,000 Year Search for the Source of the Nile River

[@Geodiode]

What are your experiences of the world's (possibly) longest, and most storied river? Have you travelled along it? Most likely in Egypt. Or perhaps Lake Victoria or the rapids near there? Or even the Blue Nile in Ethiopia? Or perhaps you just dream of going to see these fabled waters. Either way, let us know your thoughts!

[@ripvanwinkle2002]

15 mins of drivel.. NO mention of James May. the discoverer of the true source of the Nile and two other blokes. shoddy research..

[@JamesAce]

Ive crossed the rhine does that count haha

[@dangielfrauk8484]

The Nile having a Renaissance in the next couple few. Rip. Meanwhile China putting a river under mountains

[@MosesSseggembe]

I live in Uganda and have seen the source of this mighty river. For us, the source is lake Nalubale (Victoria).

[@Kopie0830]

It began in Africa...

[@woutbasson897]

I was in Rwanda in the Nyungwe forest where there are areas marked as sources of the Nile. That is the most beautiful forest I’ve ever seen. Thanks for the great video!

[@Geodiode]

I can imagine. Milosh's video of the Mountains of the Moon, just to the north, is so beautiful. And it doesn't surprise me that the locals will claim their patch to be the source. Great tourist revenue!

[@backupviber6285]

Wow, can you share any videos of that places ?

[@PrizedCalves8930]

@@Geodiode Mountains of the Moon (Rwenzori ) are in Uganda…

[@eliaslamesgen8703]

85% of the nile flows from Ethiopia to say Rewanda it the source is foolish

[@milooanimations]

Not in Rwanda but in Burundi

[@ucheehQ]

I was on holiday in Egypt at 9 or 10 years old, and there's two visual memories that stand out to me to this day. One is our train ride from Luxor to Cairo, where a minor sand storm partially obscured the pyramids from view - I vividly remember seeing a massive darker shape looming up through the sand and dust, gradually taking shape until it was unmistakably triangular. The other was, as we drove up from Hurghada to Luxor, the entire stretches of land surrounding the Nile, a vibrant green landscape with crops and orchards and greenery, and its sudden and complete change into desolate sand and rock. Awe-inspiring. Without exaggeration, those two sights have shaped so much in my life; it would have been completely different had I never been to Egypt.

[@Geodiode]

Nice to hear your memories, but you didn't cruise up the great river?

[@ucheehQ]

@@Geodiode Nope, sadly not. It's still on my to-do list though! From what I remember and what I've talked about with my parents, the trip was for 14 days, we had a hotel in Hurghada by the Red Sea, then went by car to Luxor on I think the 5th or 6th day (someone who worked at our hotel had to go back to his family there and offered to take us with him, so our family of 5 plus him in a small car, and we drove in a convoy through the desert). We stayed in Luxor for I think 2 or 3 days, visited the Karnak temple, Valley of Kings (not sure about Queens) and the Temple of Hatshepsut. Our driver's brother also owned a felucca and we sailed a bit up the Nile and visited Gezira el-Mozh, but that is all the experience actually ON the Nile we had. We also visited the family home of these two brothers and ate food with them. Such wonderful, warm people. After our days in Luxor we went by train to Cairo, where I saw aforementioned scene of pyramid in sand and dust. From what I understand we were supposed to stay there a few days as well, but we immediately got ripped off by some taxi driver who overcharged us for a ride and then instead took us to a family member of his who offered us a camel/horse trip to near the pyramids. He was adamant we could not visit the pyramids up close, that was forbidden, but he could take us into the desert on camels and horses and we'd get a great view. I have no idea what price he charged, but my parents said it was "a lot of money" without willing to elaborate further. So we did that, and when we were there we just saw busloads of people in the distance practically clambering up the pyramids, so we knew we'd been hornswaggled. In my memory we did walk pretty much by the paws of the Sphinx, but I'm not entirely sure how accurate that memory is. After that debacle, my parents were disgusted with our treatment in Cairo, contrasted to the rest of our experiences, that we immediately went back to Hurghada after that. Anyway, that whole vacation has left an indelible impression on me and ever since then I've dreamed of going back, which would also very likely include a cruise, yes.

[@Tatiana-zs3dc]

I am curious, how did it affect you? What did it shape in your life?

[@Eyob797]

Blue NIle which flows from Ethiopia actually contributes ninety percent of the water and soil. The so called "white nile's contribution is minimal.

[@EneriGiilaan]

... as stated in the video at 4:59 mark ...

[@aanchaallllllll]

0:33: 🌊 The Nile River is the most famous and longest river in the world, although its title as the longest has recently been challenged by the Amazon River. 4:05: 🌊 The Nile is a key waterway for transportation and is formed by the Blue and White Nile rivers in Sudan. 7:13: 🌊 The Nile River has played a significant role in history, providing irrigation and unique agricultural opportunities in Egypt. 10:29: 🗺 The search for the source of the Nile has led to various theories and imaginary mountains. 13:09: 🌊 The construction of dams on the Nile has had both positive and negative impacts on Egypt and Ethiopia. Recap by Tammy AI

[@ZaasKenar]

As a kid I lived in Addis Abeba in the 80s. I remember the summer rains at times being so heavy, that you could barely see across the street.

[@Geodiode]

Thanks for confirming that!

[@papertoyss]

The Blue Nile is one of my favourite bands. Thank you for making this video!

[@Geodiode]

No problem 😊

[@sachinphatak1992]

This was such a detailed, well-narrated, well-designed video. Thank you for making this!

[@Geodiode]

Thanks v much!

[@acanadianineurope814]

You missed the most important part. James May and the Top Gear boys finding the REAL source of the Nile

[@ripvanwinkle2002]

THIS

[@Geodiode]

It was a great episode in a great series!

[@zizogadolio]

It is worth mentioning that Muhammad Ali Pasha, the Governor of Egypt sent Captain "Salim al-Qabtan" to explore the sources of the Nile between 1839 and 1842, and he made three consecutive trips. This trip aimed to explore the sources of the Nile following the example of the famous ancient kings of Egypt, and many describe it as the first fruits of the civilization that emanated in Egypt. The expedition started from Khartoum, November 16, 1839, and lasted 135 days. It consisted of 400 people led by him. He penetrated the Sobat River in Sudan and collected data on the White Nile, which was still undiscovered. On his second trip in 1840, he reached Gondokoro, and did not succeed in continuing his journey to the lower waters of the Nile. As for the third trip, its purpose was to follow up the previous efforts, and it reached latitude 4° north of the equator. Perhaps the most important geographical results of these two expeditions were the study of the geography of the White Nile, and the drawing of a map showing its course and the surrounding areas. This information stimulated the commercial and practical bodies and motivated them to discover the regions through which the Nile River passes, and paved his travels for more scouting campaigns, although he did not reach the tropical headwaters of the Nile. As for the importance of his travels, it proved that the White Nile is the main Nile, and that there is a long stream coming from the south. , different from the Blue Nile, which meets the White Nile after its exit from Lake Tana in Ethiopia. Then John Bathrak completed the efforts of Selim the captain, especially after he entered the service of Muhammad Ali, then he made several trips between the years 1853 and 1854 in western Sudan, and he reached the Bahr al-Ghazal region

[@jimbaneham5999]

🎉

[@Geodiode]

Thanks for this. Can you provide a reference detailing this expedition? It did not appear in my researches. The White Nile was known to the ancients, by the way. And did this expedition get past the Sudd? That's not clear in your remarks.

[@zizogadolio]

@@Geodiode All the sources that i found about this expedition are in Arabic. However, in the Arabic books there are references that these expeditions were published in French by the French Geography association. Muhammad Selim Pasha, the captain An Egyptian geographer and naval officer, he was born on the island of Crete (Greece), and is of Turkish origin. He came to Egypt in his youth with his family, and joined the Egyptian Navy during the reign of Muhammad Ali Pasha, where he worked as an officer in the Alexandria arsenal, until Muhammad Ali Pasha entrusted him with making a trip to tropical Africa to discover the sources of the Nile River, as he was the first to send the first expedition to the sources of the White Nile. before the European missions. These expeditions had the merit of eliminating completely the idea that the source of the White Nile lie to the west. his scouting trips Muhammad Ali Pasha sent al-Bakbashi "Salim al-Qabtan" to explore the sources of the Nile between 1839 and 1842, and he made three consecutive trips. He was accompanied on missions by a personal representative of the governor, Suleiman Kashef, as well as Monsieur Thibault, who was called Ibrahim Effendi. The force took on board five boats called (Zahbiah) that were brought to Egypt, and three others that landed in Sennar, in addition to 15 boats carrying supplies and war ammunition sufficient for eight months. This trip aimed to explore the sources of the Nile following the example of the famous ancient kings of Egypt, and many describe it as the first fruits of the civilization that emanated in Egypt. The expedition set off from Khartoum on November 16, 1839, and lasted 135 days. It consisted of 400 people under his leadership. The campaign reached Al-Abs, in southern Sudan. Then the barriers in the river prevented the campaign from progressing. He penetrated the Sobat River in Sudan on his way back. Salim Kabtan put together a letter containing the details of this campaign and attached to it a meteorological table. This letter was the first reference that scientists referred to him in discovering the interior of Africa. It was presented by Monsieur Jomar, head of the Egyptian mission in France, to the French Geographical Society in Paris and published in the issues of July, August and September 1842, and it won the admiration of geographers. In France, Monsieur Joumar paved a preface to it, in which he praised Selim Bey Qabtan, and said in it: "This expedition consisting of 400 men led by an Egyptian officer and aimed at geographical discoveries is the first campaign of its kind. The report written in the expedition's diary is edited according to the conditions that European travelers edited, and it is worth mentioning that this trip is one of the fruits of the civilization that entered Egypt a quarter of a century ago." On his second trip in the year 1840, he reached the nearby island of Jonker, and reached latitude 5° north of the equator, from the lakes from which the Nile stems. Monsieur Darno, the French engineer accompanying the expedition, published his essay on this trip. It was published in the Journal of the French Geographical Society, November 1842, and then printed separately. As for the third voyage, its purpose was to follow up the previous efforts, and its course was slow due to the wind, and some sailors and soldiers were infected with diseases, and some of them died on the way. He returned to Khartoum on March 6, 1842. results of his travels: This information stimulated the commercial and practical bodies and motivated them to discover the regions through which the Nile River passes, and paved his travels for more scouting campaigns, although he did not reach the tropical headwaters of the Nile. As for the importance of his travels, it proved that the White Nile is the main Nile, and that there is a long course coming from the south. , different from the Blue Nile, which meets the White Nile after its exit from Lake Tana in Ethiopia. Then John Patrick (in English: John Petherick) completed the efforts of Salim the captain, especially after he entered the service of Muhammad Ali, then he made several trips between the years 1853 and 1854 AD in western Sudan, and he reached the Bahr al-Ghazal region. through Captain Slim and his soldiers; The peoples who lived near Gondokoro became acquainted with the religion of Islam, and some of them converted to it. His writings: Among his books is Journey to the Upper White Nile 1839-1840, in which he recounts his three famous trips. Sources: Wikipedia

[@SuperCatacata]

@@zizogadolio All those words just to finally say "Sources: Wikipedia" 😂 fascinating info though.

[@zizogadolio]

@@SuperCatacata actually, I read the memoir’s of this Captin in Arabic , and it is available to download on line 🙂

[@davidberlanny3308]

Very interesting story and really well narrated. I've never been but visiting Egypt is certainly on my bucket list. Have a great week and good luck from Spain!!

[@Geodiode]

Thanks very much David. I'll be covering Spain in a 2 (possibly 3)-part special later this year.

[@sethland]

The Nile is such a hydrologic oddity. In 100’s of millions of years the Ethiopian highlands have been capturing tropical rains, the river could not find one low path to the Indian Ocean or the Red Sea.

[@Geodiode]

Yes the water really took the hard way down!

[@dmac2899]

That’s because the water was spoken into existence there by Jesus Christ not formed over millions of years.

[@rach_laze]

@@dmac2899Jesus did no such thing

[@johndodson8464]

​@dmac2899 Oh, I heard that the alligators made themselves by being lucky. Cells just fell together in abiogenesis. Lucky, lucky, lucky. 😂 Evos are such clowns.

[@solomon4554]

​@@dmac2899lmao

[@coolbeanstu]

Just discovered your channel and am loving your stuff. Seriously well researched, objective yet not bleak narration, and extremely well edited. The music you put at the beginning pulls it together beautifully.

[@Geodiode]

Thanks so much! Glad you enjoyed it and yes i chose the intro music among hundreds to reflect a kind of historical epic

[@coolbeanstu]

@Geodiode its hard to come by channels like these. What I get from your videos is a sense of genuine reverence and appreciation for other cultures histories, etc. No commercialized broadcasting or otherwise biased depiction. It's truly appreciated. I've watched several videos multiple times.

[@laetitiavisagie-gg6kk]

One evening on a boat in Cairo - it was a strange but awesome experience, it made me feel ancient (I am from South Africa)

[@Geodiode]

Nice to hear of your experience. I hope to also experience a Nile cruise one day.

[@hurricane7950]

Used to live in Nairobi (Kenya) and often stayed overnight on the banks of lake Victoria. Thanks for the extensive information.

[@Geodiode]

Thanks for sharing! And you're welcome.

[@whosaidthat5236]

Clarkson Hammond and may found it a long time ago lol

[@69ss95]

I had the opportunity to travel by ship up lake Taganika to Rwanda years ago! Beautiful people and country!

[@Geodiode]

That's intrepid travel!

[@GuineaPigEveryday]

I highly recommend the movie Mountains of the Moon, about the expedition for the source of the Nile by Burton & Speke. I just discovered it last year, extremely underrated and never talked about while having fantastic production value, great performances, sense of adventure and peril, beautiful shots, and wonderful human drama. It feels like it also has that sort of subtle criticism of Victorian England that Zulu Dawn, Zulu, The Great Train Robbery, and even The Charge of the Light Brigade had elements of. Idk why but the movie has stuck with me, the friendship between the two, and how it is all destroyed over this expedition, is really touching. It’s not a perfect movie but as a history student, who finds this era and setting super fascinating, it really made an impact on me.

[@Geodiode]

Thank you! I didn't know about this movie. And now I'll definitely check it out!

[@SabinaDsouza-f2d]

I luv geography it's so interesting to learn that u go through so much finding the source hats off to you James ❤❤❤

[@Geodiode]

Glad you liked it, and yes, I enjoyed that episode of Top Gear (or was it the Grand Tour?)

[@selamawitbefekadu3138]

🙏 From Ethiopia Blessings!

[@melinakerifan]

Wonderful video!!!! I didn't realise the Nile extends eastwards as well into Ethiopia. So fascinating to learn how long it took humans to figure out the source of the Nile, and that question marks still remain for the exact furthest source. Also amazing how that dam has stopped season flooding. Such a great video, great work 👏❤️ Hope you're well and hope that life is good

[@Geodiode]

Hi Yiorgos! Glad you liked it and you learned a few new things :). I also couldn't keep the Greeks out of this one either!

[@bircruz555]

The Ethiopian Highlands contribute over 85% of the water in the Nile. Comparatively, the White Nile is much less significant, except to 5th grade statistics obsession, in this case to hype the "Longest River". The Nile is historical because of the water and the silt it carried into Egypt, and both wash down from the highlands.

[@anthonyproffitt5341]

I’d imagine the White Nile/Victoria Nile are significant to the people who live near it. It’s not all about Egypt. Many species of the genus Homo have lived around the the lakes and rivers involved in the White Nile system for millions of years.

[@merhabatube219]

Nile is blessing to Africa especially east side,, let's use together instead blame eachother

[@Eyob797]

Ethiopia's Lake Tana (ጣና ሐይቅ) is the source of Abay/ Nile river.

[@agerazanaw9717]

ኤዶም ገነትን ከሚያጠጡት 4ቱ አፍላጋት (ምንጮች)2ኛዉ ግዮን የሚባዉ ወንዝ የኢዮጲያን ምድር ይከባል ተብሎ በመፅሀፍቅዱስ ተፅሮልናል ።እግዚአብሔር ሀገራችንን ይባርክልን ።አዉሮፓወች ለዘመናት ምርምር የሚያደርጉትጰ ስለ ግዮን ገነትን ለማግኘት ነዉ እናም ያለእግዚአብሄር ፍቃድ ሊገባ 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@jeremyjames2643]

It’s amazing seeing rivers and bodies of water from their beginnings, where I live in California we have high enough mountains to where we have snow even in the summer 10000+ feet. Everywhere it’s dry but in the valleys and the lake it’s pristine, where the rivers and streams start I’ll never know it’s somewhere in that mountain. But to think it’s all from snowmelt yet when you see the river and lake you cannot comprehend how much ice it would take to make that much.

[@Geodiode]

At higher altitudes, with cooler temperatures you get less evaporation. So these areas are not as dry as in the lower slopes.

[@mehmetfatihcaliskan9854]

Hello Geodiode, what an excellent work, congrats! By the way just one detail in Turkish title cought my attention. I've no idea about who or what translated it but i better tell you that translation of "The 2000 year search for the Source of the Nile river" in Turkish must be like that to be grammarly correct : "2000 yıllık arayış: Nil nehrinin kaynağı" or "Nil nehrinin kaynağının 2000 yıllık aranışı". The title will be grammarly correct with that otherwise it occurs a tiny but irritating meaning shift. The exact translation of the Turkish title is this: "to source of the Nile river 2000 year search" or something more confusing i am not sure. But trust me sir please change the Turkish title with my recommendations if you can because it seems funny mistake :D. Thanks for your attention. Greetings from Turkey

[@Geodiode]

Thanks for the feedback. The translations are all provided automatically by Google. Glad you enjoyed the work :)

[@solomon4554]

Ben, your use of poetic and metaphorical language is top-notch!

[@Geodiode]

Thank you, sir!

[@Inflorescensse]

I went on the whitewater at the head of the Nile in Jinja, Uganda. It was absolutely the least safe and most fun I've ever had! Boat flipped half a dozen times, was often in free fall. A few days after we left several New Zealanders died.

[@Geodiode]

I saw these in the stock video during research. But that's tragic about the kiwis.

[@jimmaybee6323]

Wow, just discovered your channel Great stuff. Thanks

[@Geodiode]

Welcome! And thanks!

[@rukundodavid6836]

Lake Victoria in UGANDA is where the saurce of river Nile begins👍👍👍👍

[@TeagueChrystie]

This is fantastic. Brilliant work.

[@Geodiode]

Thanks!

[@DavidKiflu]

Beautiful description, unbiased . Thank you

[@Geodiode]

Glad you liked it!

[@afshanisrar8862]

Enjoyed the documentary, river Nile origin mystry solved,

[@gutemaenabiru]

Nice Video........ but you forgot to mention the name "sekela" (ሰከላ) the origin of nile (abay in amharics)

[@Geodiode]

Please explain more. This did not show up in my research

[@agerazanaw9717]

በመፀሀፉ ቅዱስ ግዮን ይባላል

[@agerazanaw9717]

ኤዶም ገነትን ከሚያጠጡት አንዱ ነዉ ግዮን ወንዝ /አባይ

[@MrChunkerton2001]

James May found it along with Richard Hammond and Jeremy Clarkson

[@wescarlson3544]

Nice video. I don’t think Burton ever made it to lake Victoria. He was sick and Speke explored lake Victoria on his own. Burton thought the source was lake Tanganyika.

[@Geodiode]

Burton made it to the southern shore of Victoria, but it was speke in a later expedition that found the outlet of the Nile at Jinja thus finally confirming the lake as the river's source

[@jeffhildreth9244]

@@Geodiode Speke was a despicable human being. A liar and a coward.

[@GuineaPigEveryday]

@@Geodiodewasn’t that the source of their conflict? Speke went further than Burton, who was sick, and therefore had proof of it being the Nile’s source, but they disagreed on the validity

[@limofootball]

​@@GeodiodeBurton never made it. Malaria got him. In fact, he was possibly the first person to be called mzungu before Speke made it there and documented.

[@lilmike2710]

Where is ever any rivers "source"? It seems clear that the Nile has no one single source, but a network of streams, brooks and rivers that feed a lake that feeds the Nile.

[@Geodiode]

True, but geographers of the past saw it through a simpler lens, and this series is about geographic history

[@lilmike2710]

@@Geodiode 👍

[@mair_ly]

Honestly 👌

[@Ibuki01]

Wonderful video. Short and too the point.

[@Geodiode]

Glad you liked it, thanks!

[@geraldarcuri9307]

Superbly done, beautifully narrated. Excellent visuals and pacing. Kudos!

[@Geodiode]

Thanks v much!!!

[@craigbhill]

This video is a thing of beauty.

[@Geodiode]

Thank you!

[@nancymagpantay3807]

lm very shocked this blogs so amazing and lm super believe this vloggers he descover the beauty of the world.

[@Geodiode]

Wow, thank you

[@pamelajayesmith1036]

Very interesting. Thank you.

[@Geodiode]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@markberman6708]

Jinja, Uganda right at Lake Victoria. There is a monument to Ghandi there where they spread some of his ashes into the Nile.

[@limofootball]

He wanted to be buried at the source after touring. Ugandans are nice people and have rich history with Indians especially Jinja city which is the source.

[@getamesaykinfe]

well since by weight the river more than 80% comes from Ethiopia, but its a lie when they say they Egyptians never knew where it come from. through out 2000 years Egypt invaded Ethiopia more than 330 times to control upper Abay/ Nile valley but failed all the times. so if they succeeded you anyone else wouldnt have said that

[@Chris-op7yt]

very nice to see a little more of the nile and humanity's development with.

[@Geodiode]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@genes5937]

I know this is the wrong video but I absolutely am enthralled with your video about Chile. Overall I would say I’ve watched it a dozen times as it’s my soon to be expat country. Can you also do one on Argentina??

[@Geodiode]

Good suggestion!

[@BKaneNp8]

Would love to see the Nile… I’m from Philadelphia USA and I grew up along the Delaware river

[@amazinggrace5692]

Hi, I’m from a Philly suburb (Ridley Park in Delaware Cty) and now live in Allentown, PA. 💕🐝💕

[@ejootgeorge2347]

You can come to Uganda in East Africa

[@totwallybaba]

A nice addition would have been conductivity measurements on the Blue, White, Victoria Nile, and at the entrance to the Delta.

[@Geodiode]

By which I think you mean the flowrates? Yes I wanted to do this, but after a moderate search I was not able to locate this data.

[@Lozzie74]

@@Geodiodeno, he means the electrical conductivity, which is an indicator of total dissolved solids

[@slypen7450]

Elevation at the source was the primary concern of the Victorian explorers. All FE proponents know exactly why. Lol! The Euphrates has been in news a lot lately. It seems biblical prophecy is the main reason not the two damns being developed upstream. Liked and subscribed. Good luck.

[@11361va]

I come from Homa bay kenya. And when we were kids we were told stories of river nile beginning from Mbita ( kenya near rusinga island) from where it flows deep under lake Victoria such that if a vessel capsized near the place the remnants are to be found in Uganda where the river flows to the surface

[@pennymink5706]

Awesome job

[@Geodiode]

Thanks!

[@sunildeshmukh2053]

Nice info of origine of Nile river.

[@Geodiode]

Glad you liked it!

[@roberttreppleton8979]

John Hanning Speke stated that the true source of the Nile is just upstream from the Dam at JINJA where lies an engraved stone tablet on the side of the river, I visited this site and looking into the river the water spews wildly ! Churning crazily! I believe this as the source of the Nile!

[@Geodiode]

Great that you got to be there were JHS walked 150+ years ago.

[@مرادمحمدصبري]

Thanks a lot

[@Geodiode]

Most welcome

[@rogerwarr4673]

More amazing content

[@Geodiode]

Thank you!

[@timog7358]

great video

[@Geodiode]

Thanks!

[@zigzag4273]

At the dawn of recorded history, I was there. Without me your great civilisation would have been but a lifeless desert. I have witnessed the rise and fall of your kingdoms and the rich sediments I have provided went on to feed an empire. I am both Blue and White, sluggish and rapid. And yet despite my importance. You did not know from whence I came. My journey is not just across half a continent, but a journey through centuries of time.

[@kddalivest2340]

The Nile was man made from a combo of springs and advanced water channeling and engineering.

[@TeagueChrystie]

Random, but I love that song at the beginning. lol.

[@Geodiode]

Yes, i chose it carefully for the whole series as the intro music

[@miles12pega]

Respect to everybody for making that section the most replayed

[@melakumehari6631]

deliberately little is mentioned about the Blue Nile since the Blue Nile contribution is huge more than 85 % of the water Nile and fertile soil started from an Ethiopian highlands

[@pdruiz2005]

At 9:13. The Romans also highly prized Egypt because it produced the most taxes, by far and away, of any of their provinces. The taxes not only came from those bumper crops of wheat produced by the Nile. Taxes also came from the intensive trade Egyptian merchants had with India and the rest of Asia through the Red Sea routes that led to the Indian Ocean trade network. It's estimated that Egypt at times represented 25% to 30% of the annual tax amounts taken in by the whole of the Roman Empire from around 0 AD to 250 AD. Egypt was that important to the budgetary viability of the Roman Empire.

[@hoseahitmansingende]

I remember doing my mass communication course from 1991 to early 1992 and learning that the source of the Nile was in two countries i.e. Ethiopia and Sudan. The blue and white Nile

[@Murtaa]

There is a hadith of the Holy Prophet Muhammad stating that the Euphrates and The Nile are two rivers whose source is in Paradise.

[@sahelkubrom1636]

And there is a Hadid where he tradet black slaves

[@joelgoldsmith4747]

@@sahelkubrom1636 : Muhammad ibn Abdullah was completely opposed to the ferocious racism and hatred of Africans, which still exists today in Arabia. Unfortunately, he attempted to exterminate this 'Psychological disturbance' among the Arabs - but it's still embedded deep, in the culture today. 😟😢

[@RobinsVoyage]

In regards to the headwaters of the Nile south of Lake Victoria. perhaps I stead of the furthest source, we should find the oldest source.

[@Geodiode]

It's a valid question. As mentioned in the video, Lake Victoria was, remarkably, unknown to the outside world until relatively recently. And as the locals have no written records, it seems that the "oldest" valid source was Burton and Speke in the 1860s.

[@RobinsVoyage]

@@Geodiode what I had in mind was more scientific. It would take years of study of river sediments and core samples on all waters feeding Lake Victoria. Obviously the one with the oldest layers of sediment would be the oldest. PS: obviously rivers and streams move. They slide around and form new routes over time. This would compound the difficulty, but I think over time it's doable.

[@benranson8424]

@@RobinsVoyage oh you mean Deep Time. Yes, there is some info on how old they think the Nile River is if you look into it. Tens of millions I believe.

[@RobinsVoyage]

@@benranson8424 no . Perhaps I've been traveling so long I'm not communicating effectively.

[@limofootball]

​@Geodiode blud, you can't really say they've no records if you can't read their language. Lake Victoria's local name is literally Lake Nalubaale. The cultures are different and writing wasn't really thru culture, so basically you'd have to speak their language to get that information, something not ne of those white guys ever did. Not the locals' fault that.

[@afshanisrar8862]

I enjoyed the documentary,NILE origin mystary solved.

[@Geodiode]

Glad you liked it!

[@merhabatube219]

Now we Ethiopia are practically started using it instead of singing song for it Alhamdila 🌹🌹🌹

[@Siloguy]

I don't think Burton ever saw Lake Victoria, Speke made that side expedition on his own. Burton also didn't think Lake Victoria was the source of the Nile but that it had many feeder sources.

[@jaythomaso9311]

The beginning music sounded like Surf's Up soundtrack

[@Maatson_]

What is a lake Victoria? you mean Nyanza, Nam Lolwe, and Nnalubaale depending on which country you are in. By the way it had been discovered by locals long long ago even ancients Egyptian wrote about the two sources of the Nile . So much for it being recorded in recent history.

[@Geodiode]

The official name is Lake Victoria within the nations that border it, hence my use of it. The locals had no writing, hence no recorded history.

[@Maatson_]

@@Geodiode if you talk to locals they don’t call it Victoria and they see it as a insult. Also having no writing system has nothing to do with it having a name . Locals have for centuries had a name for it . That would be like some one coming to your house and calling it some thing else even though you live their and have a name for it but because they see you as less then they disrespect you and disregard you or your input and call it some thing else .

[@robertomagnani8091]

​​@@Maatson_ Hey, dude, I like your point of view. Colonialists invading a country usually disrespect the locals. Colonialists rename the sites without even asking to the locals.

[@JohnnieWalkerGreen]

Well I used to smile when I was a pup; Sailing down the Nile in a China cup With the recipe for a lovely day; Sticking out of my back pocket --- Ballroom Dancing --- Paul McCartney

[@michaelhaywood8262]

A third contender for the world's longest river, besides the Amazon and the Nile is the Mississippi - Missouri in the US. If the Missouri and Lower Mississippi are regarded a single river they rival the other two.

[@Geodiode]

Yes, and I am pretty sure the Miss. is #2 in terms of flow after the Amazon.

[@michaelhaywood8262]

@@Geodiode Do you mean the whole Mississippi-Missouri system including all tributaries? Mk point in the original comment was that perhaps the Missouri-Lower Mississippi should have been regarded the main river and the Upper Mississippi as the tributary.

[@zewduAsifaw-yf4uy]

We don't know and we don't want to know what Nile means, but we know what Abay is for us. Absolutely Abay ዓባይ is the great, the grand, the grace! Abay ዓባይ is the name of Ethiopian beloved river. We Care about Abay not the Nile. When they care about Abay ዓባይ then we will care about the Nile.

[@TheDavidlloydjones]

Now it can be told: river water starts out as rain! The source of the Nile is the sky. You're welcome.

[@about2mount]

Esther 1;10 Now in the days of A·has·u·eʹrus, that is, the A·has·u·eʹrus who ruled over 127 provinces from Inʹdi·a to E·thi·oʹpi·a, 2 in those days when King A·has·u·eʹrus was sitting on his royal throne in Shuʹshan. Shushan is that unknown city in Sudan. In faxt the word Sudan comes from the word Shushan.

[@cardel3]

maybe the true source of the Nile was the friends we made along the way

[@andretucker3810]

Looks like I'm likely the only one who knows Barrage HydroElectrique de Mpanda is the source of the nile and theres lots of numerology around it pun intended since it starts on the equator almost exactly

[@ArturZagaj-Izraelita]

Dlaczego Egipt nie wybuduje sobie zapory w Kairze aby spiętrzyć wodę w nilu?

[@melakuwoldeamlak]

You try to confuse your viewers by siting different location as believed to be the source of the nile while it is a confirmed fact that the source of the source of the nile is located in Ethiopia i.e. lake Tana.

[@rowlandsgichana1462]

2023/ 09/13 the sole source of the Nile is River Kuja of Kisii Kenya, which empties its water into the Lake Victoria

[@LIZZIE-lizzie]

What were the names on the Lakes and Falls before the British seized up it? That's quite interesting. They should bring them back to their original names.

[@Geodiode]

Apparently "Nyanza", but the official name in all three bounding countries is still Lake Victoria. I'm surprised they haven't change it in any of them.

[@abyetilahunlakew8367]

Ethiopian Blue Nile was discovered by Ethiopians millenia before invaders reached the African shores!!!!

[@ks725]

The locals that live in those places discovered the Nile not those that came looking for it

[@limofootball]

Man got called mzungu for looking for the source of the Nile😂😂

[@toniimooky-gq4lr]

That's where I'm from!!

[@anasshaikh5778]

What is the source of Lake Victoria

[@lancebarnes9044]

Maybe the real Nile River is the friends we made along the way

[@biniyamzewde3450]

You should conclude the source of Nile is Ethiopia since it provided about 90% of the water and you gave much emphasis to the white Nile which contributes only 10% of Nile River which is not fair. You should also mention about the expedition by James Bruce and his travel account of his journey to the source of Blue Nile. It seems you are trying to distance Nile from Ethiopia and secretly supporting the Egyptian cause! whatever you are doing Ethiopia is the rightful source of Nile and It had a natural right to use it for its development efforts!

[@chinaman1]

Pretty sure Sir James Daniel May already found it back in 2013.

[@marcosaurelio176]

Brasil 🇧🇷

[@louwsaviour6475]

The Nile originates in Central Africa, Congo, Rwanda, Burundi. This is undisputable. The original Egyptians came from there as well.

[@leifderrierikson1362]

Hate to correct you, O my Brother, but the search for the headwaters for the Nile is well over 2000 years old. At least, Herodotus made a stab at it in ~ 450 BC, and no doubt he wasn't the first.

[@Geodiode]

Quite right, but then "2,600 year search for..." doesn't quite have the same ring to it does it? ;)

[@klubmusix3848]

rain ..how rain top height or any area fall?

[@yoyoyoyo-eo7og]

لا إله إلا الله محمد رسول الله

[@muttnaughton9223]

Cot Slow James May found years ago. He pointed at it.. good enough.

[@JimSuperwhite43]

Author Richard Grant's book Crazy River details his modern day search for the source of the Nile. He ends up in Rwanda just after the genocide.

[@Geodiode]

Sounds about right, in terms of the "furthest headwaters" of Lake Victoria.

[@angelosecchi4053]

But how come that sources of the Nile (White Nile, lake Victoria; Blue Nile, lake Tana) are already clearly well indicated in many ancient maps?

[@Geodiode]

Because they aren't? No maps of ancient times have survived, only interpretations of them. Yes, 3 out of 4 are mentioned, though, but not Lake Victoria.

[@acropolismauve8496]

Everybody knows that Top Gear discovered the source of the Nile.

[@dopeman1356]

the source of blue nile lake tana (ethiopia)

[@user-Eth]

Ethiopia’s rivers are the source of the Blue Nile, you forgot to mention Lake Tane.

[@NkundaJeanClaude-ny7py]

La source du nil se trouve au Rwanda plus precisement dans la foret primaire de Nyungwe. Actuellement cette forêt date de l'ère glaciale. Je Vous invite a visiter notre beautiful country. U Rwanda twifuza.

[@JoSan3]

James May found it in one of Top Gear's specials

[@Geodiode]

It was a great episode, but you understand why I can't put "entertainment" like that in a factual history.

[@JoSan3]

@@Geodiode Was just joking man. Ofc it isn't the real source lol

[@mthimkhulu30]

Lake Victoria must be renamed. Victoria falls must be renamed

[@Geodiode]

So petition the governments of those countries, then. For now they remain the official names.