The exhibition Reflections of the Nile: From the Ancient World to Today’s Banks invites visitors to discover the importance of the river as a vital resource for local populations, for agricultural irrigation, and for the development of abundant flora and fauna. It also encourages reflection on the Nile’s role in the religious sphere from antiquity to the present day. While the river does not flow solely through Egypt, it remains one of its most iconic symbols in the works of both Egyptian and European artists.

The exhibition also presents a more nuanced view of this long—and not always calm—river, highlighting the dangers of navigation, the consequences of irregular flooding, and the political challenges tied to sharing water resources, particularly with the construction of numerous dams. Stretching over more than 6,700 kilometers, the Nile supplies water to the entire northeastern quarter of the African continent.

Among the objects on loan from the Foundation, statuettes of an ibis, a hippopotamus, and a frog evoke the Nile’s wildlife, while a votive plaque dedicated to Hapy, the personification of the Nile and its annual flood, a god closely associated with abundance and agriculture, and a symbol of fertility and renewal.