Customer Reviews

The Blue Nile

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"The Blue Nile" is the story of one of history'sgreatest mysteries: the search for the source of the Nile. Sincebefore recorded time, it has been the greatest river on Earth. It surges powerfully through thousands of miles of forbidding desert; never ceasing, a giver of life that for millennia held one enduring mystery: where did it come from?

As Moorehead tells us, it was the last great unknown. By the 1850s, maps of the world were accurate from corner to corner-- except for the "Dark Continent" of Africa. Its massive interior was blank; a question mark. No explorer had ever entered it and come out alive. One of the greatest ages of exploration was on: a time of Stanley and Livingston, of astonishing discoveries, of bravery and courage, slavery and horror. A handful of men risked everything to solve the Holy Grail that spurred them on: to find the source of the Nile.

Note: This book was originally published in the early 1960s, I believe, along with a companion book, "The White Nile," which traces the stories, history, and intriguing exploration of the other branch of the Nile within Africa's interior. If you read one, you won't be able to resist the other. END

I have read a lot of history on ancient Egypt and was passingly familiar with Napoleon's conquest of Egypt, however, I had absolutely no background on other aspects of 19th century Egypt and neighboring Sudan and Ethiopia.

This book was extremely enlightening with respect to such subjects as Mamaluke rule of Egypt prior to Napoleon's arrival and the subsequent reign of Muhammad Ali. However, by far the most interesting and educational part of the book was the last half which dealt primarily with the reign of Theodore, Emperor of Ethiopia and the British invasion to secure the release of European hostages held by Theodore. Prior to reading this book, I'd never heard of Theodore nor the British invasion of Ethiopia.

Blue Nile is a companion piece to White Nile, the Blue Nile being the Nile tributary which feeds into the river at Khartoum, Sudan having flowed from its source in the Ethiopian highlands. Moorehead does a very good job in describing the various expeditions which sought the source of the Blue Nile as well as the political and social anarchy endemic to the region.

After reading THE WHITE NILE, this companion book seems a bit rushed and not as well researched. Admittedly, there was more to-do over the While Nile than the Blue Nile, but the focus seems to veer from Napoleon to the Mamelukes to the Turks to the Ethiopians to the the Brits. I would have loved more history on Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia. Particularly the latter, whose people are both distinct and ancient, yet we hear more about the bloody Brits again. Basically, a good read, but just not enough.

Totally fascinating book. In particular the saga of the British invasion of Ethiopia merely to rescue a few handfuls of prisoners from the clutches of Theodore, the emperor, would make a terrific movie, but perhaps just now, not too terribly PC, as Theodore does not come off in a very good light (to say the least), and of course he is black. Also charts Napoleon's invasion of Egypt. It is basically a study of the history of the Nile in the 19th century, well only until 1868, when the British left, and a brief epilogue about the Blue Nile in the 20th century until the 70s when the book was revised. The other two expeditions recounted were the one of James Bruce, the Scotsman, and Mohammed Ali's campaigns in the Sudan in the early 1820s. Suberb.

This book and its companion book The White Nile are both some of the more enjoyable and interesting history books available. They will not disappoint anyone looking for an interesting story of equatorial exploration, in the days when the interior of African was still the "great unknown " to the world at large. One should read both the Blue and White Nile books by this author to really get a feel for the history that concentrates on the era of European involvemnt into the Nile area and of course the discovery of the source of the Nile. It also gives a good background into the roots of modern history of Egypt and Ethiopia with respect to the European powers in light of todays events.

This book deals with history and culture along the Nile from 1798 to 1868 whilst the author's other book The White Nile explores the history from 1856 to 1900. Both books are masterpiecs of history, geography and ethnography. The Blue Nile chronicles events on the Nile from Ethiopia through Sudan to the sea but also deals with European history in the way it impacted on the Nile and the areas under discussion. It is an impressive resource of the events, the personalities involved and the people groups of this vast region.

Part One: Reconnaissance, opens with a description of Lake Tana in the highlands of Ethiopia. Although the lake is considered the primary source of the Blue Nile, the Little Abbai river which flows from the Ghis Abbai swamp is the largest tributary to Lake Tana. Where it leaves the lake, the river is called the Big Abbai. The author descibed the landscape of the highlands, the Tissat Falls about 20 miles beyond the lake and the desolate Blue Nile gorge as the river winds down the highlands to Sudan. This section also investigates the exploits of explorer James Bruce in Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia. He was the first European to reach the source of the river.

Part Two: The French in Egypt, discusses the political situation in Europe in the 1790s and the background to Napoleon's invasion of Egypt. There are detailed descriptions of the preparations and the condition of Egypt at the time with discussions of Mamluke rule and the leader Murad. The French moved as far south as Aswan and completed the conquest by October 1799. Then the English destroyed their fleet and they were trapped in Egypt.

Part Three: The Turks In The Sudan, takes up the history from 1801 when the English and the Turks defeated the French and narrates the rise of Muhammad Ali, an Albanian Turk who took control of Egypt and destroyed the remnants of the Mamlukes. The life and travels of the great explorer James Lewis Burkhart are investigated here. He was a most reliable and observant traveller who wrote about all aspects of life along the river. It was in this time that the city of Khartoum was founded.

Part Four: The British In Ethiopia, chronicles the situation in Ethiopia under Emperor Theodore. He held some Europeans hostage so a British expeditionary force under Napier was sent to rescue the prisoners. The trials and tribulations of the force are discussed in great detail. The Magdala campaign eventually led to the collapse of the Ethiopian empire as it then existed and the land split into areas controlled by war-lords.

In the Epilogue, Moorehead points out that the aforementioned events finally ended the isolation of the Nile valley from Lake Tana to the sea and that these countries would never be the same again. He also provides a description of Lake Tana at the time of the book's publication. The Blue Nile contains a map and a section on Sources, arranged by chapter and with comments by the author. The book concludes with an index. It is a most illuminating and engaging work. I highly recommend The White Nile by the same author, where the narrative continues up to the year 1900.

Adventures in Egypt and Nubia: The Travels of William John Bankes (1786-1855)

The river is 2750 miles long. The source is located in Ethiopia. It is 6000 feet above sea level. Lake Tana is the source of the river. After the Tisisat Falls, the river makes a great gash across the Ethiopian plateau. The Blue Nile joins the White Nile at Khartoum. The Blue Nile brings life down from the mountains to the desert and the delta.

In the 18th century James Bruce declared that he had been to the source of the Blue Nile. He was brave and determined and a dedicated amateur. Bruce thought the Blue Nile was the main stream and the White Nile was a tributary. Affairs in Ethiopia were nightmarish. The Ethiopian warriors were impressed by the power of his rifle. His book appeared in 1790, seventeen years after his expedition.

Bonaparte dreamed of Alexandrian conquests. He felt that as a man of the Mediterranean he understood Islamic rulers. When he decided to take Egypt, the secret of his destination was well-kept. The garrison at Malta was taken in the first assault. At the time Alexandria had been decimated but Cairo was flourishing. Memphis had decayed into nothing. The Mamelukes, a military oligarchy, had been the rulers in fact for the five hundred years before the advent of the French. Alexandria was captured easily and then Cairo was occupied.

Up to 1798 Egyptology did not exist. The French Navy was defeated by Lord Nelson and in 1801 a force of English and Turkish soldiers forced the French to leave Egypt. Almost all of Bonaparte's plans for the westernization of Egypt were eventually carried out. Egypt, the Suadan and Ethiopia were drawn into a new scheme of international politics.

After Waterloo England was the great sea power. Muhammad Ali, the ruler of Egypt, hesitated to go into the Sudan and Ethiopia fearing to antagonize the British. A French traveler, Cailliaud, reported on the ruins at Meroe and his account formed the basis of all subsequent archaeology at the site. Flaubert visited the Upper Nile in 1850 and provided a description of its gaudy squalor and sensual excitement. Luxor became an English watering place.

The politics of Ethiopia became bound up with the politics of its ruler, the Emperor Theodore, a raging reformer and tyrant. When he imprisoned the British consul and the actions of the Queen's representative did not result in the freeing of the consul, an expedition in 1868 was mounted to achieve that objective. The expedition was under the auspices of General Namier and the Indian Army. At a point when the Ethiopians preferred surrender to the superior forces, the Emperor Theodore killed himself. He was buried by Coptic priests. The empire collpsed entirely.

Colonel R.E. Cheesman, age 84, the last of the African explorers appears on the author's acknowledgment page. The book is wonderfully enlightening and compelling.

This book deals with history and culture along the Nile from 1798 to 1868 whilst the author's other book The White Nile explores the history from 1856 to 1900. Both books are masterpiecs of history, geography and ethnography. The Blue Nile chronicles events on the Nile from Ethiopia through Sudan to the sea but also deals with European history in the way it impacted on the Nile and the areas under discussion. It is an impressive resource of the events, the personalities involved and the people groups of this vast region.

Part One: Reconnaissance, opens with a description of Lake Tana in the highlands of Ethiopia. Although the lake is considered the primary source of the Blue Nile, the Little Abbai river which flows from the Ghis Abbai swamp is the largest tributary to Lake Tana. Where it leaves the lake, the river is called the Big Abbai. The author descibed the landscape of the highlands, the Tissat Falls about 20 miles beyond the lake and the desolate Blue Nile gorge as the river winds down the highlands to Sudan. This section also investigates the exploits of explorer James Bruce in Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia. He was the first European to reach the source of the river.

Part Two: The French in Egypt, discusses the political situation in Europe in the 1790s and the background to Napoleon's invasion of Egypt. There are detailed descriptions of the preparations and the condition of Egypt at the time with discussions of Mamluke rule and the leader Murad. The French moved as far south as Aswan and completed the conquest by October 1799. Then the English destroyed their fleet and they were trapped in Egypt.

Part Three: The Turks In The Sudan, takes up the history from 1801 when the English and the Turks defeated the French and narrates the rise of Muhammad Ali, an Albanian Turk who took control of Egypt and destroyed the remnants of the Mamlukes. The life and travels of the great explorer James Lewis Burkhart are investigated here. He was a most reliable and observant traveller who wrote about all aspects of life along the river. It was in this time that the city of Khartoum was founded.

Part Four: The British In Ethiopia, chronicles the situation in Ethiopia under Emperor Theodore. He held some Europeans hostage so a British expeditionary force under Napier was sent to rescue the prisoners. The trials and tribulations of the force are discussed in great detail. The Magdala campaign eventually led to the collapse of the Ethiopian empire as it then existed and the land split into areas controlled by war-lords.

In the Epilogue, Moorehead points out that the aforementioned events finally ended the isolation of the Nile valley from Lake Tana to the sea and that these countries would never be the same again. He also provides a description of Lake Tana at the time of the book's publication. The Blue Nile contains a map and a section on Sources, arranged by chapter and with comments by the author. The book concludes with an index. It is a most illuminating and engaging work. I highly recommend The White Nile by the same author, where the narrative continues up to the year 1900.

This companion volume to The White Nile is another fascinating history of that great river and of the people who were influenced by it. Although these books were best sellers in the early 60s, I'm amazed that they are not now widely read. Read one and you will search out everything else Moorehead has written.

With today's turmoil in Egypt, I finally plucked this volume down off my shelf where it's been gathering dust since 1986, according to the date I bought it, written on the inside page. To my astonishment, I was immediately smitten with the tale and the writing style. Absolutely first rate. The stories of the Napoleonic conquest are fascinating, as are the tales of Marmeluke rule, as well as other expeditions, ostensibly to find the source of the Nile. Well, who cares where the Nile starts? The key here is the incredibly long history of this part of Africa. It reminds us that the momentary turmoil of today as one dictator leaves Egypt after a mere 30 years of rule is but a backdrop for the thousands upon thousands of years of history when change happened in terms of centuries, not days. This is a real historical corker, if you are in the mood for some popular history.