Merowe Dam: Pearl of the Nile in Sudan

Alongside a highway on the top of a 10-km long dam, a wide blue lake dotted with an assortment of bobbing boats attracts thousands of domestic and foreign tourists.

Nearby a dream of the Sudanese people is passing into reality as the Chinese-built Merowe Dam nears completion in the African nation's Northern Province.

Dubbed "Pearl of the Nile", the project is the second dam to be built on the famous Nile River - after its counterpart at Aswan - and the largest hydropower station under construction in Africa.