\nϯⲟⲩⲁϩ `ⲙⲡⲉⲙϫⲉ"},"native_name_lang":{"wt":"ar"},"nickname":{"wt":""},"settlement_type":{"wt":""},"image_skyline":{"wt":"Bahariya-oasis.jpg"},"image_caption":{"wt":"View of Bahariya Oasis from Black Mountain"},"image_flag":{"wt":""},"flag_size":{"wt":""},"image_seal":{"wt":""},"seal_size":{"wt":""},"image_shield":{"wt":""},"shield_size":{"wt":""},"image_map":{"wt":""},"mapsize":{"wt":""},"map_caption":{"wt":""},"pushpin_map":{"wt":"Egypt"},"pushpin_label_position":{"wt":"bottom"},"pushpin_mapsize":{"wt":"300"},"pushpin_relief":{"wt":"1"},"pushpin_map_caption":{"wt":"Location in Egypt\n"},"subdivision_type":{"wt":"Country"},"subdivision_name":{"wt":"{{flag|Egypt}}"},"subdivision_type1":{"wt":"[[Governorates of Egypt|Governorate]]"},"subdivision_name1":{"wt":"[[Giza Governorate]]"},"subdivision_type2":{"wt":""},"subdivision_name2":{"wt":""},"subdivision_type3":{"wt":""},"subdivision_name3":{"wt":""},"1":{"wt":"\n"},"government_footnotes":{"wt":""},"government_type":{"wt":""},"leader_title":{"wt":""},"leader_name":{"wt":""},"leader_title1":{"wt":""},"leader_name1":{"wt":""},"established_title":{"wt":""},"established_date":{"wt":""},"area_magnitude":{"wt":""},"unit_pref":{"wt":"Imperial "},"area_footnotes":{"wt":""},"area_total_km2":{"wt":""},"area_land_km2":{"wt":"\n"},"population_as_of":{"wt":"2006"},"population_footnotes":{"wt":""},"population_note":{"wt":""},"population_total":{"wt":"32815https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q738878"},"population_density_km2":{"wt":""},"population_density_sq_mi":{"wt":""},"population_metro":{"wt":""},"population_density_metro_km2":{"wt":""},"population_density_metro_sq_mi":{"wt":""},"population_blank1_title":{"wt":"Ethnicities"},"population_blank1":{"wt":""},"population_density_blank1_km2":{"wt":""},"population_density_blank1_sq_mi":{"wt":""},"timezone":{"wt":"[[Egypt Standard Time|EST]]"},"utc_offset":{"wt":"+2"},"coordinates":{"wt":"{{coord|28|21|5.36|N|28|51|44.6|E|region:EG|display=inline}}"},"elevation_footnotes":{"wt":""},"elevation_m":{"wt":""},"elevation_ft":{"wt":""},"postal_code_type":{"wt":""},"postal_code":{"wt":""},"area_code":{"wt":""},"blank_name":{"wt":""},"blank_info":{"wt":""},"blank1_name":{"wt":""},"blank1_info":{"wt":""},"website":{"wt":""},"footnotes":{"wt":""}},"i":0}}]}" id="mwAg">Place in Giza Governorate, Egypt
Bahariya Oasis الواحات البحرية ϯⲟⲩⲁϩ `ⲙⲡⲉⲙϫⲉ | |
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Coordinates: 28°21′5.36″N28°51′44.6″E / 28.3514889°N 28.862389°E | |
Country | Egypt |
Governorate | Giza Governorate |
Population (2006) | |
• Total | 32,815 [1] |
Time zone | UTC+2 (EST) |
Bahariya Oasis (Arabic : الواحات البحرية, romanized: El-Wāḥāt El-Baḥrīya, "the Northern Oases") is a depression and a naturally rich oasis in the Western Desert of Egypt. It is approximately 370 km away from Cairo. 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 in Giza Governorate, the main economic sectors are agriculture, iron ore mining, and tourism. The main agricultural products are guavas, mangos, dates, and olives.
wḥꜣt mḥt "The Northern Oasis" [2] in hieroglyphs | |||||||||||||
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In Ancient Egypt, the oasis had two names. The name 'ḏsḏs' is first mentioned on a scarab dating back to the Middle Kingdom. In the New Kingdom, this name is rarely found, although it does appear for example in the Temple of Luxor and in the account of King Kamose, who occupied the oasis during the war against the Hyksos. From the 25th Dynasty it was almost the only name used. Another name wḥꜣt mḥtt ("the Northern Oasis") was almost exclusively used in the New Kingdom; it appears for instance on the local grave of Amenhotep, and is found again in the list of oasis in the Temple at Edfu.[ citation needed ]
From 45 CE, the depression was known in Latin as Oasis parva (Small Oasis). The Greek historian Strabo called it the "Second Oasis", and the 5th century CE historian Olympiodorus of Thebes called it "the Third Oasis".
In Coptic times, it was known as the "Oasis of Oxyrhynchus" (Coptic : ϯⲟⲩⲁϩ `ⲙⲡⲉⲙϫⲉDiwah Ēmbemdje) or Tast(s) (Coptic : ⲧⲁⲥⲧ(ⲥ)), which is derived from Ancient Egyptian ḏsḏs. [3] After the Islamization of Egypt, it was called the Oasis of Bahnasa, "Oasis of Oxyrhynchus".[ citation needed ]
The modern name is الواحات البحرية, al-Wāḥāt al-Baḥriyya meaning "the Northern Oasis”. The southern part of the depression around El Heiz apparently never had a separate name.[ citation needed ]
Bahariya consists of many villages, of which El Bawiti is 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 [4] where mummies have been found on which genetic studies have been conducted. [5]
The depression has been populated since the neolithic, although archaeological evidence is not continuous. In El Heiz, a prehistoric settlement site of hunter-gatherers was found with remains of grindstones, arrowheads, scrapers, chisels, and ostrich eggshells. In Qārat el-Abyaḍ, a Czech team led by Miroslav Bárta discovered a settlement of the Old Kingdom. [6] Rock inscriptions in el-Harrah and other records date to the Middle Kingdom and upwards. [7] [8] The tomb of Amenhotep called Huy was erected in Qarat Hilwah at the end of the 18th dynasty. [9] 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, [10] and the site of Qasr 'Allam. [11]
The Greco-Roman period was a time of prosperity. There is the ruin of a temple dedicated to Ammon by Alexander the Great located in Qasr el-Miqisba ('Ain et-Tibniya). It is believed by some Egyptologists that Alexander passed through Bahariya while returning from the oracle of Ammon at Siwa Oasis. [12] [13] Excavations of the Greco-Roman necropolis found in 1995 [14] and known as the Valley of the Golden Mummies began in 1999. Approximately thirty-four tombs have been excavated from this area. [15] In Roman times, a big military fort was erected at Qarat el-Toub. [16]
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 Antiquities Mahmoud 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. [17]
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 in Greek. [18] In 2021, archaeologists discovered a complex with the ruins of three churches and monks cells date back to the fifth century CE. [18] [19]
During World War I, the Baharia Military Railway was 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. [20]
The people of the oasis, or the Waḥātī people (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 from Cairo, the greater Middle East, and other parts of the world are now easily accessible to the people of the oasis.
Bahariya used to be a major center for Coptic Christians. However, most of the Oasis converted to Islam centuries ago. Copts that live in Bahariya today are largely new transplants from the Nile Valley. [21]
The traditional dress of women in Bahariya is called Magaddil (braids) after the striped pattern of the embroidery. There was also a dress that was lightly embroidered, with a border of telli embroidery around the neck that was made separately and sewn onto the dress. In recent times these have largely been phased out by floral print dresses. [21]
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 surrounding White and Black deserts, 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. [20]
Carcharodontosaurus and Bahariasaurus (meaning "Bahariya lizard") dinosaurs have been found in the Bahariya Formation, which date to about 95 million years ago. Bahariasaurus was a huge theropod and was described by Ernst Stromer in 1934, [22] however the type specimen was destroyed during World War II in 1944. In 2000, an American scientific team conducted by Joshua Smith found the remains of sauropod dinosaur, Paralititan stromeri . [23]
The region between the Bahariya and Farafra depressions used to have volcanic activity during the Jurassic Period. In addition, the landscape contains some hills made of barite or calcite crystals, and also golden limestone boulders which became a sanctuary for species, such as white foxes, gazelles and rams. [24]
In June 2022, paleontologists reported the discovery of a 98-million-year-old type of abelisaurid in Bahariya Oasis, which was around 20 feet (6.1 m) in length and initially found in 2016. [25]
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) |
Average precipitation mm (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) |
Average relative humidity (%) | 52 | 44 | 39 | 31 | 29 | 31 | 36 | 38 | 43 | 46 | 51 | 55 | 41 |
Source: FAO [26] |
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)Luxor is a city in Upper Egypt, which includes the site of the Ancient Egyptian city of Thebes. Luxor had a population of 1,333,309 in 2020, with an area of approximately 417 km2 (161 sq mi) and is the capital of the Luxor Governorate. It is among the oldest inhabited cities in the world.
The Siwa Oasis is an urban oasis in Egypt. It is situated between the Qattara Depression and the Great Sand Sea in the Western Desert, 50 kilometres (31 mi) east of the Egypt–Libya border and 560 kilometres (350 mi) from the Egyptian capital city of Cairo. It is famed from its role in ancient Egypt as the home to an oracle of Amun, the ruins of which are a popular tourist attraction, giving it the ancient name Oasis of Amun-Ra, after the major Egyptian deity.
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Amenhotep I or Amenophis I, was the second Pharaoh of the 18th Dynasty of Egypt. His reign is generally dated from 1526 to 1506 BC.
Dakhla Oasis or Dakhleh Oasis, is one of the seven oases of Egypt's Western Desert. Dakhla Oasis lies in the New Valley Governorate, 350 km (220 mi.) from the Nile and between the oases of Farafra and Kharga. It measures approximately 80 km (50 mi) from east to west and 25 km (16 mi) from north to south.
Ernst Freiherr Stromer von Reichenbach was a German paleontologist best remembered for his expedition to Egypt, during which the discovery of the first known remains of Spinosaurus was made.
The New Valley Project or Toshka Project consists of building a system of canals to carry water from Lake Nasser to irrigate part of the sandy wastes of the Western Desert of Egypt, which is part of the Sahara Desert.
The Kharga Oasislit. 'the outer'; Coptic: (ϯ)ⲟⲩⲁϩ ⲛ̀ϩⲏⲃ(di)wah enhib, "Oasis of Hib", (ϯ)ⲟⲩⲁϩ ⲙ̀ⲯⲟⲓ(di)wah empsoi "Oasis of Psoi") is the southernmost of Egypt's five western oases. It is located in the Western Desert, about 200 km to the west of the Nile valley. "Kharga" or "El Kharga" is also the name of a major town located in the oasis, the capital of New Valley Governorate. The oasis, which was known as the 'Southern Oasis' to the Ancient Egyptians, the 'outer' to the Greeks and Oasis Magna to the Romans, is the largest of the oases in the Libyan desert of Egypt. It is in a depression about 160 km long and from 20 km to 80 km wide. Its population is 67,700 (2012).
Ahmed Fakhry was an Egyptian archaeologist who worked in the Western desert of Egypt, and also in the necropolis at Dahshur.
The Farafra depression is a 980 km2 (380 sq mi) geological depression, the second biggest by size in Western Egypt and the smallest by population, near latitude 27.06° north and longitude 27.97° east. It is in the large Western Desert of Egypt, approximately midway between Dakhla and Bahariya oases.
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The Valley of the Golden Mummies is a huge burial site at Bahariya Oasis in the Western Desert of Egypt, dating to the Greco-Roman period. Discovered in 1996 by Zahi Hawass and his Egyptian team, approximately two hundred fifty mummies approximately two thousand years old were recovered over the period of several seasons. Eventually, the excavator further estimated a total of more than ten thousand mummies.
El-Bawiti is a town in the Western desert in Egypt. With 30,000 inhabitants, it is the largest settlement in the Bahariya Oasis.
The Faiyum Oasis is a depression or basin in the desert immediately west of the Nile river, 62 miles south of Cairo, Egypt. The extent of the basin area is estimated at between 1,270 km2 (490 mi2) and 1,700 km2 (656 mi2). The basin floor comprises fields watered by a channel of the Nile, the Bahr Yussef, as it drains into a desert hollow to the west of the Nile Valley. The Bahr Yussef veers west through a narrow neck of land north of Ihnasya, between the archaeological sites of El Lahun and Gurob near Hawara; it then branches out, providing agricultural land in the Faiyum basin, draining into the large saltwater Lake Moeris. In prehistory it was a freshwater lake, but is today a saltwater lake. It is a source for tilapia and other fish for the local area.
Egypt has many fossil-bearing geologic formations, in which many dinosaurs have been discovered.
In Egypt, the Western Desert is an area of the Sahara that lies west of the river Nile, up to the Libyan border, and south from the Mediterranean Sea to the border with Sudan. It is named in contrast to the Eastern Desert which extends east from the Nile to the Red Sea. The Western Desert is mostly rocky desert, though an area of sandy desert, known as the Great Sand Sea, lies to the west against the Libyan border. The desert covers an area of 680,650 km2 (262,800 sq mi) which is two-thirds of the land area of the country. Its highest elevation is 1,000 m (3,300 ft) in the Gilf Kebir plateau to the far south-west of the country, on the Egypt-Sudan-Libya border. The Western Desert is barren and uninhabited save for a chain of oases which extend in an arc from Siwa, in the north-west, to Kharga in the south. It has been the scene of conflict in modern times, particularly during the Second World War.
Sahara el Beyda, the White Desert Protected Area, is a national park in Egypt, first established as a protected area in 2002. It is located in the Farafra depression, 45 km (28 mi) north of the town of Qasr Al Farafra. Part of the park is in the Farafra Oasis.
Abu Minqar is an oasis town in Qesm Al Wahat Ad Dakhlah District, New Valley Governorate, Egypt, about 93 kilometres (58 mi) by road southwest of Farafra. It is inhabited mainly by Bedouins and lies along a historical caravan route to Kufra, Libya.
The Border Authority was an Egyptian administrative authority, established in 1917 by a decision of the Commander-in-Chief of the British forces in Egypt, and approved by the Presidency of the Egyptian Council of Ministers. It was initially called the Border Divisions Authority. The administration of this authority included the regions of the Sinai Peninsula, the Eastern Desert, the Red Sea coast, the Western Desert, and the oases.