1 Pound New Asyut Barrage

The New Asyut Barrage, completed in 2011 after roughly a decade of construction, replaced the original Asyut Barrage built by the British in 1902 — one of the earliest modern hydraulic structures on the Nile. The old barrage had become structurally compromised and was no longer adequate for managing the irrigation demands of Upper Egypt. Its replacement was a significant infrastructure undertaking for the Egyptian government, and the Central Bank's decision to commemorate it on circulating coinage reflects how central Nile water management remains to Egyptian national identity and agricultural policy.