The Nile, the world’s longest river system, has figured prominently in historic events over millennia. This book views the Nile as both the stage on which these events occurred and as an actor in its unfolding history. It explores the intersection of natural forces and human intervention to take readers on a series of historical journeys along the river, from its sources to the Mediterranean Sea. Each chapter focuses on a particular historical period and the cities, events, important figures and the encounters between groups and cultures that shaped it.

A fascinating historical and geographic tour of the Nile, this book comes on the heels of Cairo: Histories of the City to reconfirm AlSayyad’s outstanding storytelling and open-eyed love of his native Egypt. The narrative flows in time along the meandering river from the first settlements on its banks to the capitals of the contemporary states that bicker over its water, stitching together a tale of human ingenuity, discovery, exploitation, and planning. -- Nasser Rabbat, MIT

Nezar AlSayyad is an architect, planner and urban historian. He is Professor Emeritus of Architecture and Planning at the University of California, Berkeley, where he was Faculty Director of the Centre for Arab Societies and Environment Studies for two decades. He has published numerous books including, most recently, Cairo: Histories of a City (Harvard University Press, 2011) and Traditions: The Real, the Hyper and the Virtual (Routledge, 2014).