The vastness of the building site was at first overwhelming for the young Ethiopian mechanical engineer.
Hundreds were already digging the foundations in tough conditions for what is now Africa's largest hydro-electric dam, straddling the Blue Nile.
Moges Yeshiwas was 27 when he arrived in that remote corner of western Ethiopia in 2012, eager to gain valuable experience in his profession. The completion of the project is set to change his nation, but it also changed his life.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed is due to formally launch the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (Gerd), which will help electrify the country as well as provide power to the region.
The dam wall stretches 1.78km (1.1 miles) across a valley and stands 145m (475 feet) high – it is constructed with 11 million cubic metres of concrete. It has created a huge reservoir, called Lake Nigat, which means dawn in the Amharic language.
