 Abū Muḥarrik shifting dune | |
| Darb Asyūṭ · درب أسيوط | |
| length | 280 km |
|---|---|
The Darb Asyut (Arabic:درب أسيوط, Darb Asyūṭ, „Asyūṭ slope“) Is an ancient caravan route in Egyptwho have favourited the sink el-Farāfra in the Western desert with the city Asyūṭ connects. The route is 280 kilometers long and could be done with camels in about seven days.
preparation
The route is not easy. For example, the Abu Muharrik sand dune must be crossed. It makes sense to bring sand sheets with you and to cover the route in a group with several vehicles.
mobility
The journey along this route can only be done with all-terrain four-wheel drive vehicles or camels.
route
Slopes from Daschlūṭ or near the town of Asyūṭ led Meir to 1 Banī ʿAdī(27 ° 14 '57 "N.30 ° 55 '47 "E), Arabic:بني عدي. The village of Banī ʿAdī is located 28 kilometers west-northwest of Asyūṭ. At the beginning the most difficult part follows, the crossing of the Abu Muharrik sand dune.
The first destination, of course, is the stalactite cave 1 el-Gara(27 ° 24 ′ 12 ″ N.29 ° 38 '14 "E), also el-Djara, with their stalactites and prehistoric drawings. Although the cave has been known since the 19th century through the Rohlfs expedition, it has been forgotten for a long time. The cave was only rediscovered in 1989 by Carlo Bergmann. The rock carvings in the front part of the cave are believed to be around 8,000 years old.
About 80 kilometers further west you pass the pass Naqb el-Farug ("Chicken Pass"). The old, buried spring can now be found on the edge of the rock plateau 2 Biʾr Murr(27 ° 9 ′ 0 ″ N.28 ° 35 ′ 0 ″ E), the bitter source. In the area of the spring some tamarisks, palms and agolic scrub can be found.
Another twelve kilometers to the east is the spring, which was already used in ancient times 3 Biʾr Qara wine(27 ° 6 ′ 23 ″ N.28 ° 33 '57 "E.), also Biʾr Karawayn. The attraction disappears quickly, however, when you know that a new well was drilled here in order to realize a new large agricultural project.
To the north of Biʾr Qarawein is the area of Ragah, already in the buffer zone for White Desert National Park.
From Biʾr Qarawein it is another 60 kilometers to the city el-Farāfra.
security
To get there, you need several all-terrain vehicles (4 × 4), sufficient water and provisions and a satellite phone.
behaviour rules
Do not make any changes to the legacies! The history of North Africa is extensive unwritten history, You would potentially irrevocably destroy or tear out of context important testimonies.
literature
- : Three months in the Libyan desert. Cassel: Fisherman, 1875, P. 59 f. (Stalactite cave), 69-71 (Bir Murr). Reprint Cologne: Heinrich Barth Institute, 1996, ISBN 978-3-927688-10-0 .
- : The Western Desert of Egypt: an explorer’s handbook. Cairo: The American University at Cairo Press, 2008, ISBN 978-977-416-090-5 , Pp. 111-113 (in English).
