The Nile could support riverine traffic in a way that the Tigris, Euphrates, and Indus—cursed with faster currents, less reliable seasonal flows and winds, and omnipresent sandbars—never could.

The Nile could support riverine traffic in a way
that the Tigris, Euphrates, and Indus—cursed with faster currents, less reliable seasonal flows and
winds, and omnipresent sandbars—never could.