Bahariya Oasis
Bahariya Oasis
الواحات البحرية ϯⲟⲩⲁϩ `ⲙⲡⲉⲙϫⲉ | |
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![]() View of Bahariya Oasis from Black Mountain | |
Coordinates:28°21′5.36″N28°51′44.6″E/ 28.3514889°N 28.862389°E | |
Country | ![]() |
Governorate | Giza Governorate |
Time zone | UTC+2(EST) |
Bahariya Oasis(Arabic:الواحات البحرية,romanized:El-Wāḥāt El-Baḥrīya,"the Northern Oases" ) is adepressionand a naturally richoasisin theWestern DesertofEgypt.It is approximately 370 km away fromCairo.The roughly oval valley extends from northeast to southwest, has a length of 94 km, a maximum width of 42 km and covers an area of about 2000 km2.
The valley is surrounded by mountains and has numerous springs. Located inGiza Governorate,the maineconomic sectorsare agriculture,iron oremining, and tourism. The main agricultural products areguavas,mangos,dates,andolives.
Names
[edit]
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wḥꜣt mḥt "The Northern Oasis"[1] inhieroglyphs | |||||||||||||
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InAncient Egypt,the oasis had two names. The name 'ḏsḏs'is first mentioned on a scarab dating back to theMiddle Kingdom.In theNew Kingdom,this name is rarely found, although it does appear for example in the Temple ofLuxorand in the account of KingKamose,who occupied the oasis during the war against theHyksos.From the25th Dynastyit was almost the only name used. Another namewḥꜣt mḥtt( "the Northern Oasis" ) was almost exclusively used in the New Kingdom; it appears for instance on the local grave ofAmenhotep,and is found again in the list of oasis in the Temple atEdfu.[citation needed]
From 45 CE, the depression was known inLatinasOasis parva(Small Oasis). The Greek historianStrabocalled it the "Second Oasis", and the 5th century CE historianOlympiodorus of Thebescalled it "the Third Oasis".
InCoptictimes, it was known as the "Oasis ofOxyrhynchus"(Coptic:ϯⲟⲩⲁϩ `ⲙⲡⲉⲙϫⲉDiwah Ēmbemdje) orTast(s)(Coptic:ⲧⲁⲥⲧ(ⲥ)), which is derived from Ancient Egyptianḏsḏs.[2]After theIslamization of Egypt,it was called the Oasis ofBahnasa,"Oasis of Oxyrhynchus".[citation needed]
The modern name isالواحات البحرية,al-Wāḥāt al-Baḥriyyameaning "the Northern Oasis”. The southern part of the depression aroundEl Heizapparently never had a separate name.[citation needed]
Towns
[edit]Bahariya consists of many villages, of whichEl Bawitiis the largest and the administrative center. Qasr is el-Bawiti's neighboring/twin village. To the east, about ten kilometers away are the villages of Mandishah and el-Zabu. A smaller village called el-'Aguz lies between El Bawiti and Mandishah. Harrah, the easternmost village, is a few kilometers east of Mandishah and el-Zabu. El Heiz, also called El-Hayez, is the southernmost village, but it may not always be considered as part of Bahariya because it is so far from the rest of the villages, about fifty kilometers south of El Bawiti. There is an oasis at El-Hayez[3]where mummies have been found on which genetic studies have been conducted.[4]
History
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b6/Bahariyya_txu-oclc-6949452-nh35-16.jpg/220px-Bahariyya_txu-oclc-6949452-nh35-16.jpg)
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/74/Light_railway_with_British_soldiers_in_Egypt%2C_1916.jpg/220px-Light_railway_with_British_soldiers_in_Egypt%2C_1916.jpg)
The depression has been populated since theneolithic,although archaeological evidence is not continuous. In El Heiz, a prehistoric settlement site ofhunter-gathererswas found with remains of grindstones, arrowheads, scrapers, chisels, and ostrich eggshells. In Qārat el-Abyaḍ, a Czech team led byMiroslav Bártadiscovered a settlement of the Old Kingdom.[5]Rock inscriptions in el-Harrah and other records date to the Middle Kingdom and upwards.[6][7]The tomb of Amenhotep called Huy was erected in Qarat Hilwah at the end of the 18th dynasty.[8]In the 26th dynasty, the depression was culturally and economically flourishing. This can be learned from the chapels in 'Ain el-Muftilla, the tombs in Qārat Qasr Salim and Qarat esh-Sheikh Subi,[9]and the site of Qasr 'Allam.[10]
The Greco-Roman period was a time of prosperity. There is the ruin of a temple dedicated to Ammon byAlexander the Greatlocated in Qasr el-Miqisba ('Ain et-Tibniya). It is believed by some Egyptologists that Alexander passed through Bahariya while returning from theoracle of AmmonatSiwa Oasis.[11][12]Excavations of the Greco-Romannecropolisfound in 1995[13]and known as theValley of the Golden Mummiesbegan in 1999. Approximately thirty-four tombs have been excavated from this area.[14]In Roman times, a big military fort was erected at Qarat el-Toub.[15]
In the spring of 2010, a Roman-era mummy was unearthed in a Bahariya Oasis cemetery in el-Harrah. The female mummy was 3 feet tall and covered with plaster decorated to resemble Roman dress and jewellery. In addition to the female mummy, archaeologists found clay and glass vessels, coins, anthropoid masks and fourteen Greco-Roman tombs. Director of Cairo and Giza AntiquitiesMahmoud Affifi,the archaeologist who led the dig, said the tomb has a unique design with stairways and corridors, and could date to 300 BC. This find came as a result of excavation work for the construction of a youth center.[16]
In 2019, archaeologists discovered 19 structures and a church carved into the bedrock from the fifth century CE. The church was decorated with religious inscriptions inGreek.[17]In 2021, archaeologists discovered a complex with the ruins of three churches and monks cells date back to the fifth century CE.[17][18]
DuringWorld War I,theBaharia Military Railwaywas built to provide access to the oasis. In the early 1970s, an asphalt road connecting Bahariya to Cairo was finished. With the new road came electricity, cars, television, phone lines, a more accessible route to Cairo, and, more recently, internet. The spread of people and ideas between Bahariya and Cairo has increased dramatically since the road was constructed. Also, the language of the Waḥātī people has changed under the influence of the Cairo dialect, as heard on television and in music.[19]
People and culture
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/10/BawitiMosque.jpg/130px-BawitiMosque.jpg)
The people of the oasis, or theWaḥātīpeople (meaning "of the oasis" in Arabic), are the descendants of the ancient people who inhabited the oasis, ancient tribes with connection to western Egypt and eastern Libya, and the north coast, and other people from the Nile Valley who came to settle in the oasis.
The majority of Waḥātī people in Bahariya are Muslims. There are some mosques in Bahariya. The nature of social settings in the oasis is highly influenced by Islam.
Traditional music is very important to the Waḥātī people. Flutes, drums, and the simsimeyya (a harp-like instrument) are played at social gatherings, particularly at weddings. Traditional songs sung in rural style are passed down from generation to generation, and new songs are invented as well. Music fromCairo,the greaterMiddle East,and other parts of the world are now easily accessible to the people of the oasis.
Economy
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7d/BawitiAgricultureCows.jpg/220px-BawitiAgricultureCows.jpg)
Agriculture is still an important source of income, though now the iron ore industry close to Bahariya provides jobs for many Wahati people. Recently there has also been an increase in tourism to the oasis because of antiquities (tombs, mummies and other artifacts have been discovered there), and because of the beautiful surrounding deserts. Wahati and foreign guides lead adventure desert tours based out of Bahariya to the surroundingWhiteandBlackdeserts, and sometimes to Siwa or the southern oases. Tourism is a new and important source of income for locals, and it has brought an international presence to the oasis.[19]
Fossils
[edit]CarcharodontosaurusandBahariasaurus(meaning "Bahariya lizard" ) dinosaurs have been found in theBahariya Formation,which date to about 95 million years ago.Bahariasauruswas a huge theropod and was described byErnst Stromerin 1934,[20]however the type specimen was destroyed during World War II in 1944. In 2000, an American scientific team conducted byJoshua Smithfound the remains ofsauropoddinosaur,Paralititan stromeri.[21]
The region between the Bahariya andFarafradepressions used to have volcanic activity during theJurassicPeriod. In addition, the landscape contains some hills made ofbariteorcalcitecrystals, and also golden limestoneboulderswhich became a sanctuary for species, such as white foxes, gazelles and rams.[22]
In June 2022, paleontologists reported the discovery of a 98-million-year-old type ofabelisauridin Bahariya Oasis, which was around 20 feet (6.1 m) in length and initially found in 2016.[23]
Climate
[edit]Climate data for Bahariya Oasis (Baharia) (1971–2000) | |||||||||||||
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Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 19.8 (67.6) |
21.8 (71.2) |
24.8 (76.6) |
30.7 (87.3) |
34.5 (94.1) |
36.9 (98.4) |
37.1 (98.8) |
36.8 (98.2) |
34.4 (93.9) |
30.3 (86.5) |
25.5 (77.9) |
20.7 (69.3) |
29.4 (85.0) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 5.2 (41.4) |
6.6 (43.9) |
9.6 (49.3) |
13.8 (56.8) |
17.5 (63.5) |
20.3 (68.5) |
21.3 (70.3) |
21.4 (70.5) |
19.4 (66.9) |
16.2 (61.2) |
10.6 (51.1) |
6.6 (43.9) |
14.0 (57.3) |
Averageprecipitationmm (inches) | 1.0 (0.04) |
1.0 (0.04) |
1.0 (0.04) |
1.0 (0.04) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
4 (0.16) |
Averagerelative humidity(%) | 52 | 44 | 39 | 31 | 29 | 31 | 36 | 38 | 43 | 46 | 51 | 55 | 41 |
Source: FAO[24] |
Notes
[edit]- ^Gauthier, Henri (1925).Dictionnaire des Noms Géographiques Contenus dans les Textes Hiéroglyphiques.Vol. 1. p.203.
- ^Osing, Jürgen (1998).Hieratische Papyri aus Tebtunis I.Copenhagen. p. 55.
{{cite book}}
:CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^"El-Hayz".Egyptian Monuments.14 March 2009.Retrieved6 June2017.
- ^Kujanová, M; Pereira, L; Fernandes, V; Pereira, JB; Cerný, V (October 2009). "Near eastern neolithic genetic input in a small oasis of the Egyptian Western Desert".American Journal of Physical Anthropology.140(2): 336–46.doi:10.1002/ajpa.21078.PMID19425100.
- ^Nevine El-Aref:The tale of a city,report of the Al-Ahram Weekly of August 9, 2007.
- ^Giddy, Lisa L.:Egyptian Oases: Bahariya, Dakhla, Farafra and Kharga During Pharaonic Times,Warminster: Aris & Phillips Ltd., 1987, pp. 15 sq., 40–44, 62–64, 66, 95, 146–149, 161–163.
- ^Castel, Georges; Tallet, Pierre:Les inscriptions d’El-Harra, oasis de Bahareya,in:Bulletin de l’Institut français d’archéologie orientale (BIFAO),vol. 101 (2001), pp. 99–136, 612 sq.
- ^Siclen III, Charles Cornell van:Wall scenes from the tomb of Amenhotep (Huy) governor of Bahria Oasis,San Antonio, Texas: VanSiclen, 1981.
- ^Fakhry,op. cit.
- ^Colin, Frédéric:Qasr Allam: a Twenty-Sixth Dynasty settlement,in:Egyptian archaeology: the bulletin of the Egypt Exploration Society,ISSN0962-2837,vol. 24 (2004), pp. 30–33.
- ^Fakhry, Ahmed:Baḥria Oasis,vol. II. Cairo: Government Press, 1950, pp. 41–47, 85, figs. 29 [map], 30, 71, plates XXIV–XXXV, XLIV.B.
- ^Pfeiffer, Stefan:Griechische und lateinische Inschriften zum Ptolemäerreich und zur römischen Provinz Aegyptus.Münster: Lit, 2015, pp. 18–22.
- ^Associated Press:Zweitausend Jahre alte Mumien in ägyptischer Oase entdeckt,in:Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung,Nr. 132, 1995, Friday, 09.06.1995, p. 11.
- ^Zahi Hawass,The Valley of the Golden Mummies,New York 2000.
- ^Colin, Frédéric; Laisney, Damien; Marchand, Sylvie:Qaret el-Toub: un fort romain et une nécropole pharaonique. Prospection archéologique dans l’oasis de Baḥariya 1999,in:Bulletin de l’Institut français d’archéologie orientale (BIFAO),vol. 100 (2000), pp. 145–192.
- ^Nevine El-Aref:In the sands of time,report ofAl-Ahram Weeklyof April 29, 2010.
- ^abAncient Christian ruins discovered in Egypt
- ^Forskere fra Norge har gjort oppsiktsvekkende funn i Egypt(13 March 2021)NRK
- ^abBliss, Frank:Oasenleben: die ägyptischen Oasen Bahriya und Farafra in Vergangenheit und Gegenwart,Bonn: Politischer Arbeitskreis Schulen (PAS), 2006, (Beiträge zur Kulturkunde; 23),ISBN978-3-921876-27-5.
- ^Stromer, E.:Ergebnisse der Forschungsreisen Prof. E. Stromers in den Wüsten Ägyptens: II. Wirbeltierreste der Baharîje-Stufe (unterstes Cenoman). 13. Dinosauria,in:Abhandlungen der Bayerischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Abteilung, Neue Folge,vol. 22 (1934), pp. 1–79.
- ^Smith, Joshua et al.:A Giant sauropod dinosaur from an Upper Cretaceous mangrove deposit in Egypt,in:Science,vol. 292,5522 (2001), pp. 1704–1706.
- ^"Bahariya and Farafra: Egypt's bizarre, desert landscape".BBC.29 March 2020.
- ^Salem, Belal S.; Lamanna, Matthew C.; O’Connor, Patrick M.; El-Qot, Gamal M.; Shaker, Fatma; Thabet, Wael A.; El-Sayed, Sanaa; Sallam, Hesham M. (2022)."First definitive record of Abelisauridae (Theropoda:Ceratosauria) from the Cretaceous Bahariya Formation, Bahariya Oasis, Western Desert of Egypt".Royal Society Open Science.9(6): 220106.Bibcode:2022RSOS....920106S.doi:10.1098/rsos.220106.PMC9174736.PMID35706658.
- ^"CLIMWAT climatic database".Food and Agriculture Organization of United Nations.Retrieved23 June2024.
See also
[edit]- Bahariasaurus(meaning "Bahariya lizard" )
- Bahariya Formation(fossil bearing geologic formation)
- Ernst Stromer
References
[edit]- Fakhry, Ahmed.Bahria Oasis,Cairo: Government Press, 1942–1950 (2 volumes).
- Fakhry, Ahmed.The oases of Egypt. Vol. II: Bahrīyah and Farafra Oases,Cairo: The American Univ. in Cairo Pr., 1974, reprinted 2003.
- Hawass, Zahi A.Valley of the golden mummies: the greatest Egyptian discovery since Tutankhamen,London: Virgin, 2000.
External links
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/dd/Wikivoyage-Logo-v3-icon.svg/40px-Wikivoyage-Logo-v3-icon.svg.png)
- (in German)Baḥrīya on Wikivoyage