How do nilometers function?
Nilometers function based on a principle called “Communicating Vessels”, which simply means that at three different levels of the nilometer’s shaft, three tunnels are found connecting to the River Nile. During the flooding, water would enter through the tunnels to fill up the shaft’s bottom. If the water rises to the 16th mark in the pit, that would indicate prosperity, causing people to celebrate. However, if the water rises up to 19 cubits, that would indicate an inescapable catastrophe, causing a state of panic in the country. Less than 16 cubits meant famine, depression and draught. Therefore, a mosque stood next to the Nilometer, where the Caliph and people joined in praying as a sign of gratitude, when the water rose to 16 cubits, as a ritual before celebrating. However, if the water failed to rise, people fasted and prayed to God to save them from the dangers of famine and draught, canceling all celebrations. Unfortunately, the mosque could not survive the ravages of time, and so no longer exists.

Discovering the Nilometer’s star features:
During ancient times, Nilometers were very plain and undecorated, as they were solely functional structures. However, visitors will find that Al Mutawakil’s nilometer is unusually decorated, and the reason is that it stood next to Al Monasterli’s Palace, and thus had to be a delightful sight to the Caliph.

Internal Features:
The nilometer embraces the earliest surviving Arabic script in Egypt, as Quranic verses decorate its conical shaped roof’s rim. Local visitors might be struck by the fact that they can’t easily read the Arabic verses decorating the rim, and that is because the inscriptions are in Kufi: Arabic angular script without “Tashkeel”* small letters indicating Arabic grammar. However, the Quranic verses speak of the importance of water to life, and harvest.

Visitors can descend to the shaft’s bottom by a staircase to watch closely the three tunnel levels, which once used to allow the water to flood. They can also watch the soaring marble pillar, lined with indicative cubits to measure the water’s level. A magnificent wall decorated in a sophisticated gold floral design worth photographing meets looking up from the shaft’s bottom.

Al-Monasterli Palace:
Right next to the Nilometer, rests a spectacular, renovated Palace with a serene, wide terrace overlooking the Nile known as Al-Monasterli Palace. The eastern side of the palace lies on the ruins of the mosque, once used by the Caliph and the Egyptians to pray for an ideal 16- cubit flood. It was constructed by Ahmed Al-Monasterli in 1851, and is a typical example of Ottoman architecture. Today, visitors can enjoy the Palace’s grandeur by attending International performances taking place within the Palace’s music room. Performances are usually held in October and tickets are about L.E. 50, purchased at the Nilometer’s entrance. To check the performances available call: +20 363 1467 or +20 363 1537

Umm Kulthum Museum:
Adjacent to Al-Monasterli Palace stands Umm Kulthum’s museum, eternalizing the Arab World’s most beloved female singer. Visitors can enjoy an insightful tour with Kulthum’s audio-visual informative library as its major highlight, presenting her performances, and also representing the socio- economic and political context in Egypt and the Arab world at her time. A statue of the diva stands proud before the museum, welcoming visitors to enter daily from 10am-6pm. The site can be interesting to tourists, who want to learn about Egyptian history by tracing expressive art like that of Kulthum’s

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