caput nili quaerere

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Caput Nili quaerere; Caritas numquam excidit. They were the most glorious display of falling water I had ever seen. So, in 1973 I made my way to the Ethiopian highlands and the Blue Nile, and found myself standing on a mist-swept palisade transfixed by the 150-foot-high Tissisat Falls (smoke of fire), more popularly known as the Blue Nile Falls. In der Pflasterung des Kapitols befindet sich ein vielstrahliger Stern, das Universum, mit der Sonne und dem Kaiser in der Mitte. https://magazin.evonik.de/wasser/wirtschaft-gesellschaft/die-macht-des-nil ↩. approaches ita solution i the proverb Nili quaerere caput bas lost ita point. Das Unterfangen «caput Nili quaerere» erweist sich selbst in Zeiten des Internets als schwierig und scheint mitunter tatsächlich aussichtslos. We filmed our scenes of rappelling, roping boats over, and pitching an empty raft down the plunge, all fantastic, but somehow tinged with melancholy, knowing it was not quite real. At the Blue Nile Falls, however, there was nothing save the raw, deep voice of nature and an architecture supported by the brilliant beams of rainbows. In Roman times, the phrase caput Nili quærere, “to search for the head of the Nile”, was used as a … Falls turned back on, brieflyAt last, on the given day, we gathered at the falls, and watched it rise to its previous levels. The company was co-producing a new IMAX entitled, "Mystery of the Nile". The other great waterfalls of the world -- Niagara, Iguazu, Victoria --are all now pocked with hotels and tourist boutiques and scenic flights. »Caput Nili quaerere« – das Suchen nach der Nilquelle – galt im Römischen Reich als Synonym für das Lösen einer unlösbar erscheinenden Aufgabe. Any readers have a lot of time on their hands? ). Die Suche nach den Quellen des Nils ist eine geographische Unternehmung, die sich seit der ersten Diskussion um seine Quellen durch Herodot (Zitat: „Von den Quellen des Nils wollte keiner von den Ägyptern, Libyern oder Griechen, mit welchen ich davon gesprochen habe, etwas wissen …“) Mela quoque fontem Nili ita nominatum tradit l.3. Other names of companies and products mentioned on this website may be the trademarks of their respective owners. James Bruce, in his search for the source of the Nile, came upon the falls in 1770 and described it thusly: “The river ... fell in one sheet of water, without any interval, above half an English mile in breadth, with a force and a noise that was truly terrible, and which stunned and made me, for a time, perfectly dizzy. So, in October, during a scout for the film, I chartered a Cessna and winged up the Blue Nile towards the falls. Michelangelo stellte damit das Selbstverständnis des antiken Roms als Haupt der Welt dar. The second chapter of the book of Genesis refers to the rivers that flow through the Garden of Eden: “And the name of the second river is Ghion; the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia.” The Blue Nile, sweeping out from Lake Tana in a wide loop, does indeed encompass the ancient land of Ethiopia. “Caput Nili Quaerere” (5:00 Min.) Irgendwo tief im Inneren des afrikanischen Kontinents, bei den geheim-nisumwitterten Mondbergen, lag der Ursprung des Stroms der Ströme, der Lebensader Ägyptens. In Roman times, the phrase caput Nili quærere, “to search for the head of the Nile”, was used as a metaphor for any foolish or impossible endeavour, and many explorers tried and failed to reach the fabled “Mountains of the Moon” from which the river emerged. But as I gazed downwards something was wrong … the falls were but a shadow of how I remembered them … instead of a blazing curtain of water half a mile wide, only about a third of the basaltic lip hosted water. I had been enthralled by the writings of Bruce and of Alan Moorehead, whose book "The Blue Nile" swept me into a world beyond the pages of "National Geographic". Richard Bangs co-directed "Mystery of the Nile," scheduled for release in the fall of 2005, and was recently editor-at-large for Expedia.com. The aerial imagery suggests, however, that the stream actually begins some way beyond the town. A thick fume, or haze, covered the fall all around, and hung over the course of the stream both above and below, marking its track, though the water was not seen. In theory, it ought to be possible to use Google Maps’ Distance Measurement tool to measure the total length along each little stream extremely accurately. Tourism, which had dropped to a trickle under the radical socialist regime of Mengistu Haile Mariam in the 80s, had been coming back under the new administration of Meles Zenawi, and the Blue Nile Falls was a top draw. But the falls were just plain ugly in their current state, not an IMAX moment, which is a scene of preternatural beauty shown in high-definition large format. Caput mundi – „hlava světa“, o městě Římu Caput Nili quaerere – „hledat pramen Nilu“, pustit se do nemožného úkolu Caret periclo, qui etiam cum est tutus, cavet – „Nebezpečí se vyhne, kdo bdí, i když bezpečný je“ ( Publius Syrus ) A thin ribbon of water scraped down the cheek of the dark cliff that once was a breathtaking spectacle, and an icon for the Ethiopia. As we took off, the pilot circled over the falls, as he had done for years to show off his country’s greatest natural asset to the tourists on board. The scenes envisioned for the film included lowering rafts over the wall of the falls, rappelling down its side, and sending over a “ghost boat,” an unmanned, unrigged raft, as the British Army had done in 1968 during an attempted descent of the river. The Romans even had a proverb: Nili caput quaerere, Latin for ‘to search for the head of the Nile’. Nowadays, thanks to Google, we can explore the whole river from our desktop, without even having to get dressed. Carmina non dant panem. Die Suche nach den Quellen des Nils ist eine geographische Unternehmung, die sich seit der ersten Diskussion um seine Quellen durch Herodot (Zitat: „Von den Quellen des Nils wollte keiner von den Ägyptern, Libyern oder Griechen, mit welchen ich davon gesprochen habe, etwas wissen …“) Not sponsored by or affiliated with Google. dubio procul idem cum Hebraeorum Nachal. Like this site? The study concluded that, unlike other hydropower projects with big dams, Tis Abay II  would have “negligible impact on the environment, and that it would be economically very attractive for investment.” Somehow, though, the project sailed to completion without the cognizance of any international environmental watchdog group, or any journalists. If the Blue Nile dried up, or was dammed or diverted in a significant way, Egypt would die. What is certain, though, is that the Burundian source is much further south than the one in Rwanda, so – in a straight line, at least – it’s further from the mouth of the river. Caput Nili quaerere So does that settle the age-old question? Das Geheimnis um das Quellgebiet des Blauen Nils, das dem Mündungsgebiet am nächsten liegt, wurde zuerst gelüftet. It was the Sunday before the scheduled shoot when I walked up the familiar path to the palisade overlook of the falls and saw almost nothing there. Quiautem plures huiusce fluvii derivationes scire velit, Martinium videat in Nilo. In Roman times, the phrase caput Nili quærere, “to search for the head of the Nile”, was used as a metaphor for any foolish or impossible endeavour, and many explorers tried and failed to reach the fabled “Mountains of the Moon” from which the river emerged. It turns out that this is the Kagera River, and its remotest source was traced to the hills of Burundi by a German, Burckhard Waldecker, in 1934. Az ókori rómaiaknak volt egy mondásuk: Caput Nili quaerere. While the White Nile is the longer of the two streams that join in Khartoum to create the Nile proper, it is the Blue Nile that contributes about 85 percent of the water that powers Egypt, and most of the precious silt that nourishes its banks. Google Sightseeing takes you on a tour of the world as seen from satellite or street views using Google Maps. The rest, it seemed, was rolling down a giant canal to the west of the river, into a massive concrete spillway. Bereits die alten Römer waren auf der Suche nach den Quellen des riesigen Stromes („caput Nili quaerere“, im Vulgärlateinischen doppeldeutig, da auch als „Das Haupt des Nichts suchen“ übersetzbar). Caput Nili quaerere It was as breathtaking as it had ever been. But the issue goes back much further than that. Ein Mann, der von der tatsächlichen Lösung des Problems umgetrieben wurde, war der schottische Adelige, Exzentriker und Privatgelehrte James Bruce. How did you know that naturists like me are reading the blog? Reddit gives you the best of the internet in one place. An hour flight in any direction reveals scores of deep gorge alternatives. Ortum eius quod attinet, eum investigare frustranei laboris conatus olim habitus est: unde in proverb. The country’s paper currency, the one birr note, proudly showcases the falls in spate; posters of the falls plaster offices and restaurants around the country. Not quite. In der Pflasterung des Kapitols befindet sich ein vielstrahliger Stern, das Universum, mit der Sonne und dem Kaiser in der Mitte. The conceit was more about the historical aspects of the water that flowed to and fed Egypt, though it imagined the spectacular falls and scenes of modern adventurers recreating some of what the British army had done. c. 10. Travel author Richard Bangs writes of his shock when he traveled to the Blue Nile Falls, a source of the Nile's water, only to find that it was being cut off due to a dam. We called the vice minister of water resources and explained our film and its purpose. When I finally made my way down to Tissisat it was Sunday, and the falls were as I remembered, a plunging diadem of water slinging mist into my face. V roku 1970 bola na Níle vybudovaná Asuánska priehrada, A few days later we wrapped the Ethiopian portion of the film, and I boarded the Ethiopian Airlines flight back to Addis Ababa, the capital, where I would connect with an international flight home. I spent the next two days meeting with local officials securing permissions for the shoot. 3. It meant: to attempt the impossible, to cry for the moon. For centuries, the source of the mighty River Nile was shrouded in mystery in the dark heart of Africa. The u/caputniliquaerere community on Reddit. No definite progress was achieved until the era of the Victorian explorers of Africa, men such as Richard Burton, John Hanning Speke and David Livingstone. Back at the hotel I kept running into angry Western tourists who had spent hundreds of dollars and sometimes hours of flying to witness the Blue Nile Falls at their best and now felt snookered. Video: Peter Becker / Musik: Stefan Holmeier. This site has been known to Europeans since a Spanish missionary, Pedro Páez, visited in 1618. Without having to get dressed, huh? But as he dipped his wings, and I looked straight down to the where the Nile makes its greatest plunge, there was nothing there. The village women and children who sold calabashes, weavings, sodas, trinkets and walking sticks to tourists complained to me how their livelihood was suffering. II. I had no reason to consider they might ever change. The concept of the film was tracing the waters that slake and fertilize Egypt from the headwaters of the Blue Nile in Ethiopia, through the Sudan, across Egypt and into the Mediterranean at Alexandria. Caput Nili quaerere. Without high-resolution imagery, it’s hard to say. The plane circled with my nose pressed against the window, stunned at the sight. Established in 1830, the Royal Geographical Society sponsored expeditions led by Burton, Speke and Livingstone to Lake Tanganyika, Lake Victoria, and the … The IMAX film planned on featuring several key scenes at the Blue Nile Falls, the grandest cataract in the whole of the Nile system, and the producers asked if I would codirect. Google is a trademark of Google Inc. who are neither associated with this website nor endorse it in any way. Yet the falls were gone, 90 percent diverted into this new power scheme built by Chinese and Serbian contractors. In 2006, a team of explorers from New Zealand and Britain travelled to what they claim is the most distant source, in the Nyungwe Forest in Rwanda. DIE FELLACHEN (BAUERN) Durch die Sand- und Steinwüste von Nord-Ost-Afrika zieht sich der Nil. Although Lake Victoria is still often considered to be the source, the Nile can actually be traced back further, to the headwaters of the longest river flowing into the lake. Cartago delenda est; Castigat ridendo mores; Cave canem Inscriptio Pompeiis There is a Latin saying: “Caput Nili quaerere,” which means “searching for the Nile’s … Its source is in the highlands of Ethiopia, supposedly at a sacred spring near the town of Gish Abay. When I first stood before the immense manitou of the Blue Nile Falls, watching the water spout and bloom like gargantuan brown mushrooms and the mist shape and move like a timelapse sequence of clouds, I was struck by how accurate Bruce had been and how little the sight had changed in more than 200 years. This diacoTery confirms IIlbetantially the gueeaea and traditions concerning the lake region of … Although the Blue Nile is the shorter tributary, it contributes the majority of the water. Yet Ethiopia, which sits atop a mile and half high plateau, has huge rivers and canyons hurtling off all sides, offering vast hydropower potential. This was the first season the diversion project had been put into full effect, and the first time tourists were discovering that what they had come to see had vanished, gone with manmade legerdemain. To locate its source -- Quaerere caput Nili -- had been the hope of many great captains and geographers of the classical age: Herodotus, Cyrus and Cambyses of Persia, Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Nero. The Romans even had a proverb: Nili caput quaerere, Latin for 'to search for the head of the Nile'. abiit Nili caput quaerere, quod usurpatur de re supra humanas vires arduâ. For centuries, the divine river kept its secrets. His latest is “Adventure Without End.”. To locate its source— Quaerere caput Nili—was the hope of great captains and geographers from the classical age to the Victorian: Cyrus and … Fearing the worst, though, I scheduled the falls scenes for Sunday for when we returned a month later. Caput Nili Quaerere - „a Nílus forrását keresni' -, ezt a kifejezést használták a XVIII. Unfortunately the imagery here is low-res, but you can see a photo of this source via this site (the expedition’s official website appears to be dead). I am from Burundi and you don’t really need to think to know that Burundi is south of rwanda so there is no question there. Great explorers such as Stanley and Livingstone, Bruce and Burton—all … But when we arrived mid-November, a week prior to the shoot to make final arrangements, I was shocked beyond shock. A few hours after appealing to the local police commissioner, everyone and everything was released, but again we had stumbled into a little-known scheme that was altering the balance of nature. At one point, though, our team was arrested and the boats confiscated as we floated down a 400 yard section of the river about 20 miles above the falls where the Blue Nile has yet another recent diversion, a low height weir that allows regulation of the water flow from Lake Tana, its source. As we wound up the brown, serpentine ribbon, I was anxious to figure out how to film the falls in the IMAX format in a way that would do them justice. Thumbnail images are copyright Google and other companies, visit Google for full legal notices. And it put the film in a dilemma. The Nile, of course, is not a single river. The Blue Nile Falls in Ethiopia are seen at a fraction of their natural flow. The falls were full enough to make this all happen, but I was curious as to why a few days earlier the falls seemed to be a fraction of this Sunday’s volume. It meant: to attempt the impossible, to cry for the moon. Inhaltsübersicht. Comments are owned by whoever posted them and we are not responsible for their content. Michelangelo stellte damit das Selbstverständnis des antiken Roms als Haupt der Welt dar. He also is co-founder of Mountain Travel-Sobek, and author of 13 books. Privacy policy. Our team of authors present weird and wonderful sights as suggested by readers. Ez azt jelentette, hogy a Nílus forrását keresi és arra az emberre használták, aki valami megoldhatatlan rejtélyen töprengett. Caput Nili Quaerere (Jinja, Part 2) He was on his way back to Africa’s eastern coast when he set off on a detour with a small party to chase rumours of another enormous lake to the north. The White Nile is the longer branch, and so the source of this river is the true beginning of the Nile. More than 90 percent of energy consumed in Ethiopia is derived from biomass fuels and is almost entirely used for cooking, and the use of these fuels has resulted in massive deforestation and soil erosion. Flow diverted by hydropower projectYohannes Assefa, our local outfitter for the project, did some digging around and said that a new $63 million, 450 megawatt power generating station called Tis Abay II was just gearing up, diverting water on weekdays, but not yet on Sundays and holidays when there was less demand for the power. (Die Nilquellen suchen!) Hlavným zdrojom Nílu sú Biely a Modrý Níl, ktorých sútok leží pri meste Chartúm. But the only reason to compromise the Blue Nile Falls, one of the great natural wonders of the world, would be to tap into power cheaper and faster. And after much negotiating he agreed to close the dam for us for four hours to film the falls in full. Only 4 percent of the population has access to electricity. 4. Early October was the best time to see the falls, just after the rains, and I knew I was in for an aerial treat. The Blue Nile brought me to Africa in 1973. Bereits die alten Römer waren auf der Suche nach den Quellen des riesigen Stromes ("caput Nili quaerere", im Vulgärlateinischen doppeldeutig, da auch als "Das Haupt des Nichts suchen" übersetzbar. The year was 1858, and his name was John Hanning Speke. The river was redeposited a few hundred yards downstream after pouring through penstocks and turbines, but it had left the great falls bald and sallow. Ez a latin mondás túlélte a rómaiakat és a középkorban is előszeretettel használták. I didn’t quite believe it, and when back in the United States Googled the Web and searched to see if there were any further explanations. Also, I have been to the site in Bururi province , down Rutovu commune when I was young; the pyramide is made of stones and it’s cute and the stream is kept as natural as you can it’s actually mount “Gikizi” not Kikizi; about the question whether it’s a source of the Nile, well The stream empties in the Ruvyironza river, which then empties in the bigger Ruvuvu river; the ruvubu river then meets with the Nyabarongo of rwanda further north to create the famous or infamous Kagera which goes into Victoria Nyanza. We spent the week filming the rapids above the falls as planed. Tana fishermen carped that the lake was being drained to keep diversion flows steady, and lower lake levels were exposing fish hatcheries, reducing the fish population. Google Sightseeing is a Rotacoo Production and is powered by WordPress. For centuries, the source of the mighty River Nile was shrouded in mystery in the dark heart of Africa. Right at the confluence of the rivers is Tuti Island, which until recently was an oasis of rural calm in the heart of the city – a situation that looks likely to change with the opening of this new suspension bridge. Four years later he journeyed to Ripon Falls (now submerged by a dam), where the White Nile exits the lake. SPRICHWORT: „caput nili quaerere“ = „den Ursprung des Nils suchen“ → Wegen den Stromschnellen konnten die Ägypter nicht flussaufwärts fahren; daher konnten sie den Ursprung nicht finden. Caput mundi - „hlava světa“, o městě Římu Caput Nili quaerere - „hledat pramen Nilu“, pustit se do nemožného úkolu Carpe diem - „využij (chop se tohoto) dne“, nevěř zítřejšímu ( Horatius , Ódy 1.11.8) Caput mundi „Haupt der Welt“ – In der Formel „Roma Caput Mundi“, Rom als Hauptstadt der Welt. Rob is a subeditor and freelance writer from Hampshire, England, who enjoys travel both real and virtual. This news was disturbing. His discovery is commemorated by a pyramid erected on the summit of Mount Kikizi, just above the true source… which, judging by this photograph, appears to be a small plastic pipe used by the locals for doing the washing up! Return for IMAX filmMy return to The Blue Nile this year was pulled into motion with a call from MacGillivray Freeman Films, the IMAX film producer of "To Fly," "Everest" and others. No doubt that’s right. Caput mundi „Haupt der Welt“ – In der Formel „Roma Caput Mundi“, Rom als Hauptstadt der Welt. Carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero (Q. Horati Flacci Carmina 1,11,7ff.) „Caput Nili quaerere – hľadať prameň Nílu“ sa už po stáročia používalo v súvislosti s niečím nemožným alebo neuskutočniteľným. But anxiety turned to anticipation as we approached. The first Briton to make his way to the source, perhaps in search of the Ark of Covenant, was the Scot James Bruce. But I could find nothing ... just a slew of travel companies offering tours to see the singularly splendid falls in the coming weeks, the traditional high season. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. ‎Bei den Römern war die Frage nach den Quellen des Nils - "caput Nili quaerere" - sprichwörtlich ein unmöglich zu bewältigendes Unterfangen. A történetet indítsuk egy kicsit távolabbról. Caput Nili querere war in der Römerzeit ein Sprichwort für „etwas Sinnloses unternehmen“. Just a cold, gloomy empty cliff. Before constructing the diversion dam, the Ethiopian government hired consulting firms from France and Britain for the feasibility study. IE 11 is not supported. No definite progress was achieved until the era of the Victorian explorers of Africa, men such as Richard Burton, John Hanning Speke and David Livingstone. Bei den Römern war die Frage nach den Quellen des Nils – „caput Nili quaerere“ – sprichwörtlich ein unmöglich zu bewältigendes Unterfangen. I started a correspondence with Moorehead, who lived in Switzerland in the late 1960s, and before he died he sent me a note urging me to travel to Ethiopia to see firsthand the stories he had told. As a result, caput Nili quaerere (“searching for the sources of the Nile”) became a metaphor for insoluble problems even back in ancient Rome. Some lucky tourists wandered over to the viewpoints and were delighted with the falls, not knowing what they were beholding was a scene not available in a few hours time. So, we devised another solution. Schon im alten Rom sagte man, wenn man etwas für ganz unmöglich hielt: "Caput Nili quaerere" – wie "die Quelle des Nils suchen". To locate its source -- Quaerere caput Nili -- had been the hope of many great captains and geographers of the classical age: Herodotus, Cyrus and Cambyses of Persia, Alexander the … It is formed from two main tributaries, the White and Blue Niles, which join at Khartoum, in Sudan1. In 1858, the explorer John Hanning Speke became the first European to see Lake Victoria, which he claimed to be the fabled source. Caput Nili quaerere! Though today the fountain of this paradise is turned off, and the garden of grasses, reeds, leaves, and lush trees and plants once showered with a perpetual spray from the falls, are now brown and dry, edenic no more. We published a photo book of the best entries, you should buy a copy. An icon used to represent a menu that can be toggled by interacting with this icon. Impact on locals, touristsThis seemed a crime against nature, against aesthetic sensibilities, even against local economies. The film could change its concept and take an environmental stance, exposing the stealing of the falls by short-sighted, power-hungry bureaucrats. Who’s right? It was a most magnificent sight, that ages, added to the greatest length of human life, would not deface or eradicate from my memory.”. What had happened to the great falls? – vergeblich. In a comment, Annamaria Alfieri suggested that the enthusiasm for this particular venture was motivated by Britain’s concern to control Egypt and thus the Suez Canal. Caritas omnia sustinet. Caput Nili querere war in der Römerzeit ein Sprichwort für „etwas Sinnloses unternehmen“. Das bedeutete für den Lateiner etwas völlig Aussichtsloses unternehmen, etwas Nutzloses, Unerhörtes. Ein Mann, der von der tatsächlichen Lösung des Problems umgetrieben wurde, war der schottische Adelige, Exzentriker und … 1 Introduction The mid-19th century was a ‘Golden Age’ of African exploration and discovery. But no more. Site design and written content are © copyright 2005-2021 Alex Turnbull & James Turnbull.