Rural settlement along El Mahmudiya canal. Nile Delta region, Egypt

Object Details

Local Numbers: Negative number 62165 C-8, 27.
General: Title source: Index card based on photographer's notes.
Local Note: Typed index card reads, "R 6 Egy. Egypt. Rosetta. Houses along Mahmudiya canal. 3/1961. EE. neg.no. 62165 C-8, 27." The card was written in 1977-79 by Archives staff using source provided by photographer.

See more items in: Eliot Elisofon Field collection; Eliot Elisofon Field collection / Egypt

Archival Repository: Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art

Type: Archival materials; Negatives (photographic); Black-and-white negatives; Negatives

Collection Citation: Eliot Elisofon Field Collection, EEPA 1973-001, Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution

Collection Rights: Permission to reproduce images from the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives must be obtained in advance. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.

Scope and Contents: "Due to a shared cultural background, common social and economic conditions and inherited building materials and techniques, slight variations distinguish the character of the majority of villages in the various regions of Egypt (Nubian villages in the south are an exception). The main vernacular types of building found in rural areas are houses of prayer, cemeteries and dwellings. The dwelling -a cluster of which forms the community- generally does not exceed two storeys. It serves as a home, a store and a stable. Building materials available in the area are processed on-site. Stones are used in hilly areas, while adobe bricks are used in the valley. Adobe bricks or 'green bricks' are made of mud soil and the alluvium deposited by the Nile river. Agricultural residues such as rice straw are added as bonding materials. Bearing walls and flat roofs are the dominant building system." [Oliver P., 1998: Encyclopedia of Vernacular Architecture of the World. Mediterranean and Southwest Asia. North Africa and Maghreb. Cambridge University Press]. During his trip to Egypt, Elisofon visited Rosetta (Rashîd, now) which is located at the head of the Rosetta branch (Rashid, Far`, now) of the Nile, in the Nile Delta region. This photograph was taken when Eliot Elisofon was working on "The Nile" project and traveled to Africa from March 14, 1961 to March 31, 1961, visiting Egypt.

Collection Restrictions: Use of original records requires an appointment. Contact Archives staff for more details.