Nafisa Abdul Rahman

Egyptian inventor who developed the first solar-powered water purification system in the 1950s

Nafisa Abdul Rahman (1918-1999) revolutionized water treatment technology through her 1953 invention of the Abdul Rahman Solar Still. Born in a Nile Delta village, she witnessed the devastating effects of waterborne diseases and dedicated her life to finding affordable solutions.

Her breakthrough came while working at the Arab Environment and Energy Center in Cairo. The solar still system used parabolic mirrors to distill contaminated water, producing 20 liters/day at 1/10th the cost of traditional methods. By 1965, over 500 units were installed across rural Egypt, serving 250,000 people.

Rahman's 1961 paper <《Solar Solutions for Arid Regions》》 (available via IEEE Xplore) laid groundwork for modern solar desalination. Her work inspired the UN's Solar Water Initiative, and in 2010, NASA adapted her principles for space missions. The Cairo Technology Museum features a permanent exhibit on her innovations.