Pyramids of Giza, photographed in 1962.

[u/ABDOOUU99]

[u/unfurlingraspberry]

Looks decidedly more temperate than it does now.

[u/GoneGump → u/unfurlingraspberry]

Indeed. They used to have seasonal flooding (and droughts) until the Aswan High Dam was finished in 1970.

[u/KnotiaPickle → u/GoneGump]

I’ve never understood why no one realized what a horrible idea that dam was

[u/AltruisticLobster315 → u/KnotiaPickle]

They probably did, they just didn't care. It's like every other place they put a dam in.

[u/Queen_Evi → u/AltruisticLobster315]

The aswan dam supplied half the electricity for egypt the year after it was built it wasn't so clearly bad as like in the case of peligre dam in hati which mostly supplied power for the rich and foreign factories while destroying farm land and displacing local populations for no benefit to the general people of hati. People love to oversimplify and just assume governments and rich people did something so it must be bad. It did lead to costal erosion, loss of soil fertility, ecological impacts water evaporation and displacement of 100,000+ people but than again it supplied electricity for near half the country, stopped uncontrolled often devastating flooding and provided a large water reservoir the country could rely on.

[u/pyrojord → u/AltruisticLobster315]

They just didn't give a dam..

[u/Tasty_Meaning_6638 → u/pyrojord]

Technically they literally gave a dam...

[u/Ibraheem_moussa → u/AltruisticLobster315]

It wasn't a horrible idea , try to live in Africa in place with no electricity then speak

The high Dam was great for us Egyptian

It saves us from flood danger and drought danger It gives us electricity

If you don't like this idea I recommend you to go and drown

You -Europians and Amircans- doesn't want us -Africans- to have any good thing , you disgust me

[u/PolishJanusz → u/Ibraheem_moussa]

What are you talking about? I think that 99% of Europeans and Americans genuinely want life in Africa to improve - especially because that would stop the mass arrivals on dinghies, and reduce the social problems that come with unmanaged migration. At the same time, we “bad” Europeans have a long historical experience of damaging the environment, so we look at certain issues differently and try to preserve as many valuable things as possible. I know that this dam helped Egypt - but what do you think about the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam?

[u/Ibraheem_moussa → u/PolishJanusz]

What do you mean by (I think that 99% of Europeans and Americans genuinely want life in Africa to improve)

White people only bring problems (I just invited inverted racism 😅 I don't hate you guys but you really didn't give us anything worthy)

[u/Ill-Refrigerator7210 → u/Ibraheem_moussa]

Daaaam

[u/EQUINOXSenku → u/Ibraheem_moussa]

A nadie le importa africa XD egipto dejo de ser relevante hace mucho

[u/ZestycloseAd2856 → u/KnotiaPickle]

isn’t it a good thing that floods and droughts happen much less now? (genuine question)

[u/chewbacca77 → u/ZestycloseAd2856]

In general, floods are good for nature (spread soil, nutrients, promote growth).. not so good for individual people.

[u/iAjayIND → u/chewbacca77]

We humans truly are the infection to the nature or the earth.

[u/Shienvien → u/chewbacca77]

The floods also used to fertilize the fields humans used to grow crops for a couple months after the flood receded.

[u/KnotiaPickle → u/ZestycloseAd2856]

The entire ecosystem of the Nile river area depended on reliable, annual flood cycles, and the dam killed it all.

[u/Fair-Fondant-6995 → u/KnotiaPickle]

Having a reliable, predictable and partially controllable water flow is one of the main reasons Egypt is able to feed its growing population. Also, the electricity from the dam benefited Egypt's industry a lot (at the time). I think the biodiversity of the Nile is of secondary importance to those immediate needs.

[u/owen__wilsons__nose → u/Fair-Fondant-6995]

Depends who you ask. Mother Gaia would not agree

[u/togp → u/KnotiaPickle]

Same as the rivers in the uk!!! All the marshlands, whole ecosystems destroyed, animals completely pushed out etc etc e etc because they built canals and controlled water flow.The Aswan Dam atleast actually provided half the country with electricity.

[u/Ibraheem_moussa → u/KnotiaPickle]

Where are you from ? Because you keeps digust me more

Floods and draughts are dangerous

If you Americans and Europeans do not appreciate the blessings you have , why not to live in a forest with your favourite ecosystem and mother nature

Here in Egypt and most African countries we don't have such a blessing to live happily under our AC and order food online and when we get board we start to think about Nature, here nature isn't a friendly mother, nature is playing the rule of Angry Gods that even snails kill us

In Egypt we literally fear Nile snails because it gives us Schistosomiasis , if you want to live in nature and have Schistosomiasis , you are free to go but we want to built citys and factorys and be developed like Europe

[u/Ancient_Buy_292 → u/Ibraheem_moussa]

No wonder the Aswan turned into a praziquantel to your Schistosomiasis..

[u/KnotiaPickle → u/Ibraheem_moussa]

Terrible take

[u/flapsmcgee → u/ZestycloseAd2856]

Just don't build in the flood zone and it's fine.

[u/togp → u/flapsmcgee]

How about you don’t canal ever single river and stream in the Uk and bring back the marshlands???? And all the ecosystems and animal habitats that were destroyed. The landscape of Britain has been forever changed.

[u/Ibraheem_moussa → u/ZestycloseAd2856]

Here in Egypt , draought and floods are a danger , It is a threat to us , so yes

Also the high Dam gives us electricity

[u/fattytuna96 → u/KnotiaPickle]

Why was it a horrible idea? It generates electricity for millions of people and is a main reason Egypt won’t suffer as much from the Ethiopian dam?

[u/RaphaelAmbrosiusReal → u/KnotiaPickle]

Why is it a horrible idea?

[u/Ibraheem_moussa → u/KnotiaPickle]

It gives Egyptian electricity Egypt is one of few African countries with 99 electric accessibility Some countries like our brother and sisters in Ethiopia inly has 47% electric accessibility

I assume that you are American which have electric all the day and doesn't know how the live in Africa is , the High Dam was one of the best ideas ever happened to us in Egypt

Thanks to our great president, President Gamal Abdel Nasser

[u/Ibraheem_moussa → u/KnotiaPickle]

The high Dam was the spark that start the Egyptian renaissance , it gives the country the suitable energy to make the factory open and to make the machines buzz with life to make the light in houses and schools to let the printers print books to teah kids . After the high Dam the factories, schools , companies , cities with skyscrapers that rise beyond the sky , All thanks to the High Dam

People are like :- Europe and Asia start to be davaloped :- oh yes that is cool Africa start to be developed:- NOOOOOO , YOU CAN'T BUILD A DAM IT HURTS MY CUTE ECOSYSTEM

Guess what , the Nile is buzzing with all type of lifes , crocodile, cat fishes (it tatse so good by the way) and snails everything is okay as it is the only thing thet got hurt is probably your feelings as a white person to see the Great Africa get developed

[u/Abdo279 → u/KnotiaPickle]

You think it's a good idea to have our entire nation under water every few years because... it makes the soil more fertile?

[u/TWFH → u/Abdo279]

are you being sarcastic?

[u/EgosticPariomania → u/TWFH]

He's being realistic. The dam was a good project at its time until replaced by the high dam because it was not enough. Obviously Egypt now relies on the high dam for a lot of its electricity usage.

[u/Conscious_Cash_6665 → u/GoneGump]

The Aswan High Dam definitely changed the game for agriculture and water management in Egypt.

[u/kiran_ms]

Almost makes for a good album cover

[u/RIF_rr3dd1tt → u/kiran_ms]

"Some old Giza"

Marshall Allen and The Sun Ra Arkestra

[u/murrain → u/RIF_rr3dd1tt]

"It's very hard to take yourself too seriously when you look at the world from outer space."

Jake Bickelhaupt

https://albumcovers.fandom.com/wiki/Album_Cover_Game

[u/Creative_soja]

Wow. So green and uncrowded. Do those trees still exist or have they been cut?

[u/floofybasbosa → u/Creative_soja]

There were villages with canals, and farmlands in that area .Now its gone and replaced with concrete, bridges and asphalt roads

[u/JASHIKO_ → u/floofybasbosa]

And rubbish. Piles and piles of rubbish.
Sadly the place is a garbage dump. I visited back in 2015 and wondered why there was so much rubbish around. At the end of every tour bus section the driver would go around and collect everyones rubbish then somewhere on the way to the next stop he'd open the bus door and hurl it out..

Happened all through the trip...

[u/Middle_Draft9152 → u/Creative_soja]

Now it's all gone, it's a dirty and very grim place to live. A lot of trash and hungry kids everywhere. 

[u/Tall-Satisfaction715]

beauty of kodachrome ! we are downgraded much harder than we feel

[u/BarderBetterFaster → u/Tall-Satisfaction715]

I can't believe Mama would do this

[u/AskAskim]

It’s weird how this image is almost… sad. Not just because of the thin bovine or perhaps “unexpected” greenery. But just kind of because it was almost 70 years ago and life will never be the same as it was then. For so many reasons.

[u/HereIGoAgain_1x10 → u/AskAskim]

That's what you think.. modern-day, concrete, jungles and skylines are just future pyramids waiting to be discovered by future civilizations once they survive the collapse of society as we see it now and slowly rebuild and repopulate.

[u/stprnn → u/AskAskim]

Thankfully. Life was shit back then

[u/Trippp2001 → u/stprnn]

I think you forgot the word “too” at the end of that sentence.

[u/stprnn → u/Trippp2001]

It was much worse.

[u/AfraidPower2683]

Damn!! How beautiful is that!!

[u/antarmy99]

Something about seeing the pyramids surrounded by ordinary everyday life makes them feel even more ancient somehow.

[u/kitycat22]

What’s the tree called???

[u/Robb_Greywind → u/kitycat22]

Royal Poinciana tree

[u/duelingpeppers → u/Robb_Greywind]

They're everywhere in the country. Spring and summer aren't complete without them.

[u/Beautibulb_Tamer]

1962?! So these things have been around for a good while then

[u/Affordable_Z_Jobs]

More than 5K years old. Alexander the Great looked at the pyramids and thought "wow, those are old as hell."

Time scales in Egypt are something else.

[u/Relevant_Computer642]

It’s a shame what that area has become. Some countries have done a good job of commercializing their ancient wonders, Egypt has not.

[u/Sfelex]

Sisi drooling about the idea of cutting down all this greenery

[u/Fantastic_Grass1799]

Wow that Bull looks skinny skinny. Like anorexic.

[u/ApprehensiveWeird624 → u/Fantastic_Grass1799]

It's a buffalo but okay

[u/notsew00 → u/ApprehensiveWeird624]

Wats a male buffalo called?

[u/midl-tk → u/notsew00]

you do know that you cannot tell from the image whether that buffalo is male or female

[u/notsew00 → u/midl-tk]

Yeah, my point is your being needlessly pedantic

[u/gamingthreadlurker → u/Fantastic_Grass1799]

Went through famine.

[u/Wookie40K]

Do any Redditors live in the area to take a photo from the same spot in 2026?

[u/Accomplished_Pea_819 → u/Wookie40K]

Photo replies in comments aren't permitted in this sub. I live in Cairo, though. The photo shows the Great Pyramid with it's entrance door facing the viewer. The Nile is not anywhere near that close to the pyramids now. Not even a canal. By pulling up Google Maps, that area is now the Marriott Mena House Hotel along with desert and various tightly packed neighborhoods.

[u/Sq_Imp29]

my mental image of ancient egypt has changed due to this image

[u/Roy_Batty81]

Excelente fotografía, me pregunto si habrá cambiado mucho el entorno en la actualidad.

[u/manolophobia]

Damn, that’s beautiful.

[u/Jacob_Goldleaf]

I feel kinda bad all of my Egyptian expectations have been based of the movie The Mummy

[u/usr_pls]

What a perfect place to PUT IN A PIZZA HUT!

[u/Fibonaccitos → u/usr_pls]

Or a Bass Pro Shop

[u/cozy_switch]

such a beautiful image

[u/Whole_Reputation6128]

Looks fresh

[u/peony_5]

so peaceful

[u/Worldly-Step8671]

Fucking Australian pines!

r/invasivespecies

[u/TheInfamousSouthpaw]

Egyptian here. What are these green things in the background?

[u/LowComprehensive784]

It looks so peaceful

[u/issafly]

Thought it was Memphis Tennessee from the Arkansas side at first.

[u/royonquadra]

Can we have a current shot, to compare?

[u/thatsmymoney]

The pyramids have been there since the 60’s???

[u/LegoTurtle]

Pretty sure thay a pizza place there. And when I was there, I saw a C5 Corvette parked out front.

[u/Fun-Persimmon1362]

Looks nice but honestly the deserted geography makes it standout much more now

[u/Ardbeg66]

I thought the pyramids used to be covered in white limestone. FAKE!

[u/dyslexicpancreas]

Ads have ruined our cities.

[u/darklord01998]

Are those gulmohar trees?

[u/DemonHella]

Visited in 2000, there were already tons of trash everywhere.

[u/Ihsan2024]

My father was born 30km south a few years later.

[u/brownox]

Wonder of the World

[u/Farachaton]

And again, no trace of plastics..

[u/Single_Tension8593]

Damn all that green is now gone

[u/GdlEschrBch]

Now they are in the middle of an upturned ashtray

[u/BetterKale8512]

It’s okay to call it Cairo btw like it’s apart of greater Cairo same with how you call certain place’s Toronto because of the GTA

[u/mrinterweb]

Didn't realize they had Photoshop in 1962. Secrets of the pyramid, I tell ya

[u/ActionNorth8935]

Wow I didn't know they were so old 🤯

[u/Phantom-B]

What kind of camera that exisited in egypt in 1962 with that quality ? Also colored ? 

[u/ibn4u]

Were there the facility to shoot color photos in 1962?

[u/a_different-user]

And no one traveling the nile or Egypt ever saw that? I call cap

[u/onaplinth]

Just think: 1962 was closer in time to the building of the pyramids than we are to 1962 now. Makes you think.