When, at the end of the 18th century, the growing interest of French intellectuals in the “Orient” brought them to Egypt, their main aim was to enrich their knowledge of antiquity. But some of them started to look at aspects of local life and activities. These drawings are a precious record of the traditional hydraulic machines used in Egypt for irrigation.

New water systems were introduced by the French in Algeria, as shown in this print published in an album called Les Colonies Françaises. In this specific case, wells were built in order to place entire communities in permanent settlements and keep them under control.

This is an example of how traditional irrigation systems persisted alongside the innovative dams built by the Egyptian governors. Water had been a core issue for Egypt since antiquity. In choosing to catch a glimpse of everyday life, the photographer produced a valuable historical document.

In Egypt, Louis Maurice Adolphe Linant de Bellefonds collaborated with Muhammad ‘Ali Pasha on the building of the new dams along the Nile. He planned the construction of a canal along the Isthmus of Suez and, with Ferdinand de Lesseps, he obtained the concession for the Compagnie Universelle du Canal Maritime de Suez.

Water and agriculture were two interconnected elements in the history of Egypt. After the independence of the country, in the 1930s, a museum was opened to explain the history of agriculture from Ancient Egypt onwards. This photograph shows an entire room dedicated to the history of irrigation and water usage in Egypt.