It was made of Aswan Granite and it was 100 feet high, 88 feet deep at its base and about one and a half miles long. Without impoundment the River Nile would flood each year , as waters flowed down the river. These floods made the soil fertile for farming. there came a need to control the flood waters to protect farmland and cotton fields, while in a low-water there was widespread drought and famine. The aim of this water project was to prevent the river's flooding, and provide water for agriculture. In the late 1800's, it was decided that a dam should be built on the Nile to help control the flooding. It was widened and heightened several times without being able to solve the problem. The Old Dam was enlarged twice in the early part of this century. However it proved insufficient for Egypt’s perceived needs .lt had to be opened annually to allow the flood waters of the Nile through. It was however modernized in 1960, and is also producing electricity
