金字塔、神庙、木乃伊……
剥去神秘的外衣，这些都是尼罗河滋养出的文明硕果。
尼罗河，带来滋养万物的淤泥，也带来重生的信仰。
古埃及所有的神奇，就诞生于这大河谷地之间。
Beneath the veil of mystery — pyramids, temples, mummies — these are the great achievements of a civilization nourished by the Nile.
尼罗河全长约6650公里，它自南向北流过。从埃塞俄比亚高原和东非的维多利亚湖出发，带着非洲中部雨林的丰沛雨水，一路奔流到埃及地区，形成一条狭长的河谷。
今天我们看到的古埃及文物，大多数都和尼罗河有关系。
古代埃及90%以上的土地为沙漠所覆盖，在地理上相对孤立。北边的地中海和东西两边的沙漠构成了河谷流域的天然屏障，客观上起到了阻隔大规模迁徙和入侵的作用，使得古埃及很早就基于农耕文化发展出辉煌的文明。
Over 90% of ancient Egypt was desert. It was a geographically isolated land. The Mediterranean Sea to the north and deserts to the east and west formed natural barriers, preventing large-scale migrations and invasions. This allowed a magnificent civilization, rooted in agriculture, to flourish from a very early stage.
在极端干旱的环境中，尼罗河蕴含的水资源不仅提供了生产、生活所需的水，每年定期的泛滥还将上游大量的营养土带到埃及，富含营养的淤泥等于给土地上了一次肥。奇特的是，每一次泛滥还稀释了土壤盐分。它还自然而然地解决了困扰了干旱地区农业的盐碱化问题。
Remarkably, the floodwater also washed away excess salt from the soil, solving the problem of salinization that plagued many arid agricultural regions.
泛滥季结束后，农民只需将种子撒在潮湿、肥沃的土地上就可以静待收获季节的到来。尼罗河不仅哺育了土地，更馈赠了丰富的鱼类和鸟类资源。
In this extremely arid environment, the Nile was a lifeline. It did not just provide water for life and farming; its annual flood carried nutrient-rich soil downstream, acting as a natural fertilizer. When the flood receded, farmers simply scattered seeds on the moist, fertile ground and waited for the harvest. The Nile not only nurtured the land but also provided an abundance of fish and birds.
尼罗河从阿斯旺到河口整整1200公里，航道顺直，坡降平缓。特别是它的常年风向和河流流向恰好相反。一只小舟可以顺流北下也可挂帆顺风溯流南上。如此便利的交通条件在世界大河中实属罕见。
For 1,200 km, from Aswan to the delta, the Nile flows straight with a gentle gradient. Uniquely, the prevailing winds blow in the opposite direction to the current. A boat could drift downstream to the north, or raise a sail to ride the wind south. Such convenient transport is rare among the world's great rivers.
尼罗河连接起河两岸的村庄与城镇，推动了商品和资源的流通，支撑起宏伟的金字塔和神庙的建造，使社会结构得以稳固，国家得以统一。没有尼罗河就没有古埃及的一切。
The Nile connected the villages and towns along its banks. It spurred the flow of goods and resources and supported the construction of magnificent pyramids and temples. It was the backbone that stabilized society and unified the nation. Without the Nile, there would be no ancient Egypt.
因为需要经常测量尼罗河泛滥冲毁田地的面积，这催生了古埃及的数学与几何学。
尼罗河边生长的纸莎草，使古埃及的文化传播有了廉价的介质。
也正是这种纸莎草制造出的船只，使埃及发展了世界上最早的航海术。
古埃及人建立庞大水利系统和金字塔、神庙的过程，催生了管理学和法律学。
在制作木乃伊的过程中，埃及的医学也逐渐诞生了。
The need to remeasure fields washed away by the annual flood gave birth to ancient Egyptian mathematics and geometry. The papyrus reed, growing by the riverside, provided an inexpensive medium to record and spread their culture. Boats made from this same papyrus led to the development of the world's earliest seafaring techniques. And the management of vast irrigation projects and the building of pyramids and temples spurred the fields of administration and law. In the process of mummification, Egyptian medicine was born.
这趟旅程，我们触摸到古埃及的脉搏，也看见文明的起源。
几千年前，埃及和中国的古人都曾仰望星空，思考同一个问题：世界的秩序是什么？
中国古人在日月交替、寒来暑往之中，体悟到阴阳消长间的自然流转。提出“道”是宇宙的总旋律。
古埃及人也相信宇宙的稳定运行靠的是万物之间内在的协调。
这种对“自发秩序”的深刻默契早在大航海时代之前就已埋下伏笔。
当纸草卷与竹简共载星图，人类对和谐共生的追求便超越了地域。
今天，当我们回望大河文明的智慧结晶，古埃及和古代中国恰似双星交辉。
人类命运真正的文明灯塔永远照耀在“各美其美、美美与共”的航道上。
