The Nile River, shown here passing through Cairo, has flowed through the heart of Egyptian civilization for more than five centuries. The annual flooding of the Nile, represented by the Ancient Egyptian god Hapi, brought agricultural abundance to Egypt. With the construction of the Aswan High Dam, the Nile’s annual floods stopped, but Egyptians still celebrate the annual flooding of the Nile with a festival, Wafaa el-Nil, for two weeks each August.