Sadd el-Kafara
| Sadd-el-Kafara | |
|---|---|
| Location | Helwan, Helwan Governorate, Egypt |
| Coordinates | 29°47′43″N 31°25′55″E / 29.79528°N 31.43194°E |
| Construction began | ~2650 BC |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Type of dam | Embankment, masonry |
| Impounds | Wadi Garawi |
| Height | 14 m (46 ft) |
| Length | 110 m (360 ft) |
| Width (crest) | 56 m (184 ft) |
| Width (base) | 98 m (322 ft) |
| Reservoir | |
| Creates | Sadd-el-Kafara Reservoir |
| Total capacity | ~570,000 m3 (20,000,000 cu ft) Est. |
Sadd el-Kafara ("Dam of the Infidels") was a masonry embankment dam on Wadi al-Garawi 10 km southeast of Helwan in Cairo, Egypt. The dam was built in the first half of the third millennium BC by the ancient Egyptians for flood control and is the second oldest dam of the world, after the Marib Dam in Yemen. Never completed, the dam was under construction for 10–12 years before being destroyed by a flood. It was rediscovered by Georg Schweinfurth in 1885.