Building in the desert doesn’t usually make much sense. Carrying materials is difficult, particularly if you’re building massive structures like the pyramids — so you’d need a waterway to transport things more easily. But there’s no waterway around the pyramids now, and this has puzzled researchers for quite some time.

Some scientists believed that there must have been an ancient branch of the Nile, and now, we have confirmation. A new study that mixed multiple types of data found that the Egyptian pyramids were built around an ancient Nile branch that once flowed near the pyramids. It has been named the Ahramat (“pyramids” in Arabic) Branch. This discovery sheds light on how the ancient Egyptians might have transported materials and labor to these iconic structures.

A journey on the Nile

We tend to think of geology as static and immovable but the reality is far more dynamic. Rivers carve new paths, tributaries branch out and then dry up, and landscapes transform over centuries and millennia. These changes are especially significant in regions like Egypt, where the Nile River’s shifting branches have played a crucial role in shaping human history.

The northern Nile Valley, stretching from Lisht in the south to the Giza Plateau in the north, has undergone significant environmental changes over the millennia. Around 12,000 years ago, during the Early Holocene, the Sahara transformed from a hyper-arid desert to a savannah-like environment, supported by increased global sea levels. This period, known as the African Humid Period (AHP), saw the Sahara’s rivers and lakes flourish. Meanwhile, the Nile Valley was largely inhospitable due to high river levels and swampy conditions.

Fast forward a few thousand years, and the Nile is a different place. There’s a lot more fresh water in it. And the Nile floodplain is a fertile place inviting human habitation along the desert margins. Fast forward a bit more, to 5,500 years ago, and aridity around the Nile is increasing. People already depend on the river, so they move closer and closer to it, settling on elevated areas, starting the Old Kingdom Period (~2686 BCE).

This is also where the construction of the first pyramid complexes started. Egyptians brought in materials using a waterway to construct the magnificent structures we see today. All of this would make perfect sense, but researchers hadn’t been able to find this waterway — until now.

Finding the missing river

Geophysical surveys using Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) and Electromagnetic Tomography (EMT) revealed a hidden river channel beneath the modern floodplain, consistent with the radar satellite imagery of the Ahramat Branch. Essentially, the satellite imagery showed landscapes consistent with a river branch. The geophysical surveys showed the position of sediment and other rocks associated with the branch, and soil cores confirmed it.

The team confirmed that the Ahramat branch was around 64 km (39 miles) long, and up to 700m (2,296 ft) wide. It ran straight to the pyramids, neighboring no fewer than 31 pyramids. This would perfectly explain why so many pyramids were built there of all places. Back then, it wasn’t an inhospitable area of the Saharan — there was a river running to it.

During the early days of the Old Kingdom, the Ahramat Branch had a high water level, allowing for the transportation of massive limestone blocks and other materials needed for pyramid construction. As the water levels fluctuated, the positioning of the pyramids adjusted accordingly. For example, the proximity of the Bent and Red Pyramids to the desert suggests a high water level during their construction, while later pyramids built closer to the floodplain indicate lower water levels. Then, a period of drought and desertification contributed to the eventual abandonment of the Ahramat branch. It has left traces of the river branch now buried under the modern landscape.

This long-lost branch, hidden beneath the modern floodplain, played a crucial role in the construction of the pyramids and the daily lives of the ancient Egyptians. By uncovering this ancient waterway, researchers have not only solved a historical mystery but also provided new perspectives on the environmental and cultural landscape of ancient Egypt.

The Nile was the lifeline of ancient Egypt, and to this day, it still is a lifeline. While the river changes and shifts, it remains just as important today as it was thousands of years ago.

The study was published in Nature.