I'm curious as to whether people have any opinions on what advantages Egypt would have had if they had cleared the Cataracts on the nile somehow?
Could the unimpeded Nile have led to greater river traffic and more Egyptian settlement in Nubia? Could this have strengthened the Egyptians for later generations?
Now unlike the Canal of the Pharaohs, we are looking at dredging/carving a flowing river, which means either a diversion, however permanent for the Nile. Doing a permanent diversions isn't impossible, but it would be very hard work.
Besides the Cataracts, where else could the Egyptians have benefited from clearing a passage for ships with a canal, and would these be a better idea first?